The appearance of the North Korean leader, accompanied by his daughter, came days before the planned visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pyongyang.
According to the state news agency KCNA, Kim on Thursday inspected the 5,000‑ton destroyer Kang Kon during tests assessing its operational capabilities. The vessel had previously been damaged during a failed launch last year.
Images released by the regime show Kim alongside his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae. Her increasingly frequent public appearances have fuelled speculation among South Korean officials that she is being prepared for a future leadership role.
Plans for stronger navy and new weapons
Kim said the country’s naval forces must be developed more rapidly so they can play a greater role in North Korea’s nuclear deterrence strategy and be capable of delivering a “lethal strike on the enemy at any time, underwater or on the surface.”
KCNA reported that naval modernisation is a central pillar of a new five‑year defence plan approved earlier this year. The programme includes the construction of larger 10,000‑ton-class destroyers and the development of “covert underwater weapons.”
Despite continued tensions with the United States and South Korea over its nuclear programme, the state agency did not relay specific remarks by Kim concerning Washington or Seoul.
Xi visit and ties with Beijing
The announcement of the warship tests came a day after Chinese and North Korean state media confirmed that Xi Jinping will visit North Korea on Monday, a move seen as signalling Beijing’s effort to strengthen ties with its nuclear‑armed neighbour.
In recent years, Kim has focused heavily on relations with Russia, including sending troops and military equipment to support Moscow in the war in Ukraine.
Xi’s visit was also announced a day after North Korea revealed a new uranium enrichment facility, which South Korea’s military believes is intended to produce fuel for nuclear weapons.
During a visit to the facility, Kim pledged to expand the country’s nuclear capabilities at an “exponential pace,” a move analysts say is aimed at reinforcing North Korea’s status as a nuclear power ahead of the Chinese president’s visit.
