North Korea vows nuclear-armed navy as US ally drills open

SEOUL

This picture taken on September 6, 2026 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 7, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un touring the destroyer "Kang Kon" during a commissioning ceremony for the destroyer at Wonsan Port in Kangwon Province. (AFP Photo/KCNA via KNS)

Leader Kim Jong Un vowed to build North Korea’s navy into a nuclear-armed force, state media reported on Sept. 7 as U.S. allies’ maritime drills kicked off.

This week’s maneuvers involving Japan, South Korea and the United States were established in 2023 in what officials called an effort to deter Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear threats.

Kim’s comments came at the commissioning of the Kang Kon, a warship that partially capsized when launched in May 2025, in the port city of Wonsan on Sept. 6, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

“We should make sure that the diversified and effective operation of nuclear combat systems is conducted for an actual war through developing our navy into a nuclear armed force,” Kim reportedly told the ceremony.

“Once ordered anytime, the new-generation destroyer should deal a deadly retaliatory blow at the enemies as it is a force involved in the state nuclear counteraction system,” he said.

Photos released of Kim showed him accompanied by his daughter, Ju Ae, who is reportedly designated as a successor to her father.

Kim oversaw in July a test of the Kang Kon, one of two 5,000-ton class warships launched last year, just over a year after it was damaged during its launch.