The North Korean leader was accompanied by his teenage daughter,believed to be named Kim Ju Ae,while inspecting a new warship (Picture: KCNA via KNS via AP)
Kim Jong Un has vowed to accelerate efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy and develop ‘secret underwater weapons’.
The North Korean leader was accompanied by his teenage daughter,while inspecting a new warship ahead of a visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
State media quoted him as calling for ‘rapidly developing’ naval forces capable of playing a larger role in the country’s nuclear deterrent and dealing a ‘deadly blow at the enemy any moment under the water or on the water’.
He said the navy was at the heart of a new five-year defence plan including the building of larger 10,000-tonne-class destroyers and developing unspecified ‘underwater secret weapons’.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not report any quotes by Kim about Washington or Seoul amid persistent tensions over his nuclear ambitions and a prolonged freeze in diplomacy.
The report came a day after North Korean and Chinese state media confirmed that Xi would visit North Korea on Monday,the latest sign of Beijing’s efforts to reinforce ties with its nuclear-armed neighbour.
Kim Jong Un,left and his daughter observe the sea trials of its destroyer Kang Kon at an undisclosed location in North Korea (Picture: KCNA via KNS via AP)
Photo provided by the North Korean government shows its destroyer Kang Kon during the sea trials at an undisclosed location in North Korea (Picture: KCNA via KNS via AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next week (Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)Xi’s trip was announced a day after North Korea unveiled what South Korea’s military assessed as a new uranium-enrichment facility for producing nuclear bomb fuel.While visiting the 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon,Kim pledged to expand the country’s nuclear forces ‘at an exponential rate’.Experts say the move reflects his desire to cement North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state ahead of Xi’s visit.Kang Kon is the second of two destroyers North Korea unveiled last year,following the Choe Hyon,whose development Kim hailed as a major step toward expanding the operational range and pre-emptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military.State media said the ships are designed to carry a range of weapons systems,including anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles,though some experts have questioned their effectiveness in active duty.Kang Kon was damaged during a botched launching ceremony in May last year at the northeastern port of Chongjin,triggering a furious reaction from Kim,who called the failure ‘criminal’.North Korea said Kang Kon was relaunched in June after repair,but outside experts have questioned whether the ship is fully operational.Kim has called for building two more 5,000-ton-class destroyers.Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .For more stories like this,check our news page.
