TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country's navy would have a "powerful offensive capability" during a visit to a 5,000-ton destroyer to oversee a missile test, North Korea's KCNA state news agency reported on Thursday.
Kim spoke about his calls to modernize the North Korean Navy and boost the country's maritime power in the Pacific Ocean as part of a new national five-year plan agreed at the ruling party's ninth Congress last month.
"Every year during the new five-year plan period, we must build two surface warships of this class or of a higher class," Kim said at the Nampho shipyard as part of a two-day trip on Tuesday and Wednesday.
What Other Things Did Kim Jong Un Look At?
KCNA also said he oversaw the test-firing of a "strategic cruise missile," releasing photos appearing to show more than one projectile being launched from the Choe Hyon destroyer.
The ship is North Korea's first of a series of 5,000 ton "Choe Hyon-class" destroyers, according to KCNA.
State media says the ship is designed to handle various weapons systems, including anti-air and anti-naval weapons, as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. South Korean military officials say the vessel was likely made with Russian assistance or technical input.
The second ship of this kind suffered a failed initial launch last May, evoking Kim's ire and leading to officials involved being detained. It was repaired and relaunched in June, KCNA said.
KCNA also released images dated March 3 of Kim attending an army snipers' contest, as the dictator continues to prioritize military development, citing what he calls provocations from the US and its allies.
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