North Korea's Kim unveils plans for 10,000-ton warships, nuclear navy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un revealed plans to bolster the nation's navy with nuclear weapons and build significantly larger warships, including 10,000-ton vessels. State media reported Wednesday that Kim declared the program to equip the navy with nuclear arms is progressing on schedule and is vital for ensuring the country's nuclear force is ready for "multifaceted and efficient operation."

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The programme of equipping the Navy with nuclear weapons is following its planned course unerringly.

Kim's remarks were made during the commissioning ceremony of the Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton class warship, in the port city of Nampho on Tuesday. North Korea, which faces extensive international sanctions due to its nuclear program, maintains that nuclear weapons are essential for deterrence against the United States and South Korea.

The Choe Hyon is described as being equipped with "the most powerful weapons," and Kim has inspected similar vessels this year, including overseeing a cruise missile test from the ship in April. Following the Choe Hyon, Kim announced that the destroyer Kang Kon would soon be commissioned, and subsequently, 10,000-ton strategic warships would be launched sequentially.

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This is a strategic course of crucial importance as it will make it possible to keep the nuclear force of our state ready for multifaceted and efficient operation.

Experts suggest that North Korea's military expansion, particularly the deployment of ship-launched cruise missiles armed with tactical nuclear warheads, aims to deter potential U.S. military intervention on the Korean Peninsula. Such a move would increase the defense and deterrence costs for South Korean and U.S. militaries in the event of a conflict.

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Following the Choe Hyon, we will soon commission destroyer Kang Kon for operations. After that we will launch 10,000-ton strategic warships one after another.

North Korea has declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state since the 2019 Hanoi summit between Kim and then-U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed. The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war, as the 1950-53 conflict concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

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The key point is that North Korea sees these weapons as part of an effort to more effectively deter or impede US military intervention on the Korean Peninsula in the event of a conflict.