Published: 14:25, June 24, 2026
Kim attends commissioning ceremony of new destroyer Choe Hyon
By Xinhua
In this photo provided by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's government on June 24, 2026, DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un (center) speaks during a commissioning ceremony of its destroyer Choe Hyon at Nampho Port on June 23, 2026. (PHOTO / AP)

PYONGYANG – Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on Tuesday attended a commissioning ceremony of its new-type multimission destroyer Choe Hyon at Nampho Port, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday.

The warship was formally placed into service of the country's navy after concluding 14-month trial procedures for assessing its operational capabilities, said the report.

The change in the DPRK's navy does not simply mean larger size of vessels or technological advancement of ship-borne equipment, Kim was quoted as saying.

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In this photo provided by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's government on June 24, 2026, the DPRK's destroyer Choe Hyon is seen during its commissioning ceremony at Nampho Port on June 23, 2026. (PHOTO / AP)

The most important change and the most significant progress is that the navy "has taken a different position, a different mission and a different area of waters its action covers, and accordingly it will achieve a different result", he added.

The country's navy is "rising into a full-fledged service equipped with strategic means", Kim said.