The dumpling has been repaired … in part. THE North Korean warship Choe Hyondamaged when it was launched, was straightened and moored at the quay, announced a state media this Friday. May 21, A “serious accident” had occurred During its launch ceremony.
North Korean leader Kim Jong One himself attended the accident and denounced a “criminal act caused by total negligence”four officials had been arrested in stride. But why is the Choe Hyon so important?
“Short -range tactical nuclear missiles”
Choe Hyon is a new latest generation warship family launched by North Korea and announced for A commissioning in 2026. This is a 5,000-ton destroyer built on the Chongjin (northeast) shipyard. Three other ships of the same type must also be built to be called “Kim Chaek”, “An Gil” and “Kang Kon”.
According to Kim Jong-un, quoted by KCNA, they must become an “essential national defense and an element of nuclear deterrence”. And for good reason, according to some experts, the Choe Hyon is likely to be equipped with short -range tactical nuclear missilesalthough North Korea has not proven that it was able to miniaturize its nuclear weapons.
Update on the Choe Hyon restoration project in Chongjin
The ship will be examined, and sent to a dry dock at a repair yard in Rajin for detailed work over a 7-10 day period
Jo Chun Ryong maintains that the restoration will be complete before the coming CC WPK Plenary Meeting https://t.co/9ASNZPEFjU pic.twitter.com/F9NRo4S9Pc
— North Korean Archives and Library (NKAAL) (@NorthNKAAL) June 5, 2025
North Korea has simply assured that it has installed the “most powerful weapons” aboard the Choe Hyon. According to the Specialized American Site NK News, it is “likely” that it can be “equipped with short -range tactical nuclear missiles”. The destroyer could carry both sea-ground and sea-to-air missiles.
The Choe hyon competes anyway with the greatest destroyers in the world. “The frigate measures approximately 140 m long, which makes it the largest warship made in North Korea,” said Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun last April last April Center for Strategic and International Studies. By way of comparison, the destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class of the American navy are approximately 154 m long and the frigates of the Constellation class, under construction, will measure 151 m long.
Russian help?
If North Korea assured that it had been built with the “own forces and technologies” of the country “perfectly in some 400 days”, the South Korean army hypothesized that Moscow had helped the construction of the ship, possibly in exchange for the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to support Russia in Russia His war against Ukraine.
It is still necessary that the destroyer is on feet. According to Pyongyang, the accident would have damaged part of the bottom of the building. Last month, an underwater and internal inspection of the warship “confirmed that, contrary to what had been initially announced, no breach (had) been made at the bottom of the ship”. Choe Hyon could therefore be at sea in 2026.
