(LEAD) N. Korea commissions nuclear-capable naval destroyer Kang Kon

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SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has commissioned its new naval destroyer Kang Kon, state media said Monday, as the country pushes to modernize its naval assets and sharpen its combat readiness at sea with nuclear-capable vessels.

Leader Kim Jong-un attended the commissioning ceremony held a day earlier at the eastern port city of Wonsan, where he called the new 5,000-ton destroyer "essentially an offensive destroyer" and part of "the state nuclear counteraction system," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"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," the KCNA reported Kim as saying.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves from onboard the naval destroyer Kang Kon, standing next to his daughter Kim Ju-ae, on Sept. 6, 2026, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

Kim stressed the need to develop the country's navy into "a nuclear armed force" in order to carry out maritime defense and war deterrence activities "more clearly."

In addition, the North Korean leader vowed to continue developing its naval forces and deploying increasingly powerful strategic assets.

"We are in the process of implementing an important plan to bolster our navy forces, and I will prove it to the world eight months from now," he said, without elaborating further.

The plan may be related to North Korea's development of nuclear-powered submarines, publicly unveiled during a key party congress in January 2021.

Pyongyang's state media released photos in December 2025 of Kim inspecting the hull of an 8,700-ton-class nuclear-propelled submarine under development, with Kim calling South Korea's plan to build one a security threat that "must be countered."

This image, captured from the website of North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 7, 2026, shows the North holding a ceremony to commission the new naval destroyer Kang Kon at the eastern port city of Wonsan the previous day, attended by leader Kim Jong-un. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

The destroyer Kang Kon will be commissioned into the North Korean Navy's East Sea Fleet "to fulfill the responsible mission of defending the maritime sovereignty of the DPRK as the nuclear war deterrent," the KCNA said, using North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Photos carried by the KCNA showed Kim accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter Ju-ae.

The Kang Kon was commissioned less than three months after the North commissioned its sister ship, its first 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon, which it said would carry out the "honorable mission" of defending the West Sea and deterring war.

The Kang Kon's production process was not without a hitch. It capsized during a botched initial launch attempt in May last year and was successfully launched about a month later.

This July, North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles and other weapons from the destroyer into the East Sea, with Kim overseeing the drills. Kim, at that time, ordered the warship to be commissioned into the Navy within two months.

North Korea has been accelerating its push to deploy naval assets with nuclear capabilities on both coasts, with the Choe Hyun in the West Sea and the Kang Kon in the East Sea.

Early this year, Pyongyang unveiled plans to build two large warships of over 5,000 tons over the next five years, including 10,000-ton-class warships.

The ceremony announcement came as South Korea, the United States and Japan on Monday kicked off their five-day multidomain Freedom Edge military exercise in international waters east and south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju.

North Korea has denounced such military drills as war rehearsals.

The drills will involve major maritime and air assets from armed forces of the three countries, "aimed at enhancing deterrence and response capabilities against North Korean nuclear and missile threats, while safeguarding regional peace and stability," according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Sunday's ceremony also came ahead of the 78th anniversary of North Korea's founding on Sept. 9.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects the naval destroyer Kang Kon on Sept. 6, 2026, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr (END)

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(LEAD) N. Korea commissions nuclear-capable naval destroyer Kang Kon

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

（注意：新增照片，更多详情请见第6-8段及最后4段）

首尔，9月7日（韩联社）——朝鲜官方媒体周一报道称，朝鲜已正式接收其新型海军驱逐舰“康坤”号。该国正努力推进海军现代化，并通过拥有核动力舰艇来提高海上作战能力。

据朝中社报道，朝鲜领导人金正恩出席了前一天在东部港口城市元山举行的下水仪式。他在仪式上称这艘5000吨级的新型驱逐舰“本质上是一艘进攻型驱逐舰”，是“国家核反制体系”的一部分。

据朝中社报道，金正恩表示：“新一代驱逐舰作为国家核反制体系的一部分，应该对敌人给予致命的报复性打击。”

2026年9月6日，朝鲜领导人金正恩在海军驱逐舰“康坤”号上挥手致意，他的女儿金珠爱站在旁边。这张照片由朝鲜中央通讯社于次日发布。（仅限韩国境内使用，禁止转载）（韩联社）

金正恩强调，需要将该国海军发展成为“一支核武装力量”，以便“更清晰地”开展海上防御和战争威慑活动。

此外，朝鲜领导人誓言将继续发展其海军力量，并部署越来越强大的战略资产。

“我们正在实施一项加强海军力量的重要计划，我将在八个月后向世界证明这一点，”他说道，但没有进一步详细说明。

该计划可能与朝鲜在2021年1月的一次重要党代会上公开提出的核动力潜艇发展计划有关。

2025年12月，平壤官方媒体发布了金正恩视察一艘正在建造中的8700吨级核动力潜艇船体的照片，金正恩称韩国建造这种潜艇的计划是一种安全威胁，“必须予以应对”。

这张图片截取自朝鲜官方通讯社朝中社网站，拍摄于2026年9月7日。图片显示，朝鲜前一天在东部港口城市元山举行了新驱逐舰“康坤”号的入役仪式，朝鲜最高领导人金正恩出席了仪式。（仅限韩国境内使用，禁止转载）（韩联社）

朝鲜中央通讯社（朝中社）称，驱逐舰“康坤”号将加入朝鲜海军东海舰队，“履行捍卫朝鲜民主主义人民共和国海上主权、作为核战争威慑力量的重任”。

朝中社刊登的照片显示，金正恩携妻子李雪主和女儿金珠爱一同出现。

康坤号在朝鲜首艘5000吨级驱逐舰崔贤号服役不到三个月后便投入使用。朝鲜称崔贤号将执行保卫西海和威慑战争的“光荣使命”。

Kang Kon的生产过程并非一帆风顺。去年5月，它在一次失败的首次下水尝试中倾覆，大约一个月后才成功下水。

今年7月，朝鲜从一艘驱逐舰上向东海试射了战略巡航导弹和其他武器，金正恩亲自视察了演习。当时，金正恩下令该舰在两个月内正式服役。

朝鲜一直在加快推进在东西海岸部署具备核能力的海军力量，西海部署了“崔贤”号，东海部署了“康坤”号。

今年年初，平壤公布了未来五年内建造两艘排水量超过5000吨的大型军舰以及1万吨级军舰的计划。

就在韩国、美国和日本周一在韩国南部济州岛以东和以南的国际水域启动为期五天的多域“自由边缘”军事演习之际，这一仪式宣布举行。

朝鲜谴责此类军事演习是战争彩排。

据韩国联合参谋本部称，此次演习将动用三国武装部队的主要海上和空中力量，“旨在增强对朝鲜核导弹威胁的威慑和应对能力，同时维护地区和平与稳定”。

周日的仪式也恰逢朝鲜建国78周年纪念日（9月9日）之前。

2026年9月6日，朝鲜领导人金正恩视察海军驱逐舰“康坤”号。这张照片由朝鲜中央通讯社于次日发布。（仅限韩国境内使用，禁止转载）（韩联社）

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr (完)

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（导语）朝鲜海军服役可携带核弹头的驱逐舰“康坤”号。