North Korea states its navy is being equipped with nuclear weapons

Kim made these remarks on Tuesday in Nampo during the commissioning ceremony of the Choe Hyon, one of two 5,000-ton warships launched by North Korea last year. He stated that the program to equip the navy with nuclear weapons is proceeding as planned, calling it a "strategic direction of crucial importance" for maintaining the state's nuclear force for varied and effective operations. Pyongyang had previously indicated that the Choe Hyon is equipped with "the most powerful weapons," and Kim inspected it this year, including overseeing a cruise missile test from the vessel in April.

Kim also announced that after the Choe Hyon, the destroyer Kang Kon will soon be commissioned, followed by the launch of 10,000-ton strategic warships. According to Choi Gi-il, a professor of military studies at Sangji University in South Korea, reaching the 10,000-ton mark would be symbolic for North Korea, demonstrating Pyongyang's determination not to fall further behind Seoul's maritime power. South Korea possesses more than ten ships over 5,000 tons, while North Korea has two.

North and South Korea remain technically at war, as their 1950-1953 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Kim Jong Un declared that the era of their navy being solely a coastal defense force is over. During a recent Workers' Pa