On Sunday, September 6, 2026, the North Korean Navy commissioned its second 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class guided-missile destroyer, Kang Kon, in the eastern port city of Wonsan, in the presence of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Kang Kon (52) was commissioned approximately two months after the lead ship of the class, Choe Hyon (51), which was officially commissioned on June 23, 2026. Two additional vessels of the class are currently under construction.
Displacing approximately 5,000 tons and measuring 145 meters in length, the Choe Hyon-class destroyers are by far the largest, most heavily armed, and most advanced warships ever operated by the North Korean navy.
Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter, attended the commissioning ceremony alongside senior government and military officials. In his address, Kim stated that “we are currently implementing an important plan to strengthen naval forces,” with further details expected to be revealed within the next eight months. Remarkably, Kang Kon had previously capsized during its launch at the Chongjin Shipyard on May 21, 2025, yet entered service a little more than a year later.
The Choe Hyon-class represents a major leap forward in the modernization of North Korea’s surface fleet, bringing it closer to contemporary naval standards. Beyond its heavy armament, the class is equipped with modern electronic systems, including a comprehensive electronic warfare (EW) suite and four fixed-face phased-array radar panels.
The commissioning of these new destroyers underscores Pyongyang’s ambitions to develop a more capable blue-water navy with greater operational reach and power-projection capabilities. North Korea has already indicated plans to develop guided-missile cruisers with roughly twice the displacement of the Choe Hyon-class, signaling a gradual shift away from a strictly coastal-defense force.
Massive VLS Array and Advanced Radars Signal Pyongyang’s Shift Toward a Blue-Water Fleet
The ship’s missile suite is impressive. The Choe Hyon-class destroyers feature five distinct vertical launch system (VLS) configurations for a variety of anti-ship, anti-aircraft and land-attack cruise missiles, some of which are reportedly capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The aft section houses 64 VLS cells of four different types, while an additional 24 cells are located forward of the superstructure, bringing the total number of vertical launch cells to 88.
The destroyer is also fitted with eight inclined missile launchers concealed within the central superstructure, positioned forward of the engine exhausts. In addition, the vessel carries eight ready-to-fire short-range missiles associated with a naval close-in weapon system (CIWS) resembling the Russian Pantsir-M system. Altogether, the vessel appears capable of carrying up to 104 missiles of various types.
The missile armament is complemented by a 127mm naval gun mounted at the bow, two six-barrel 30mm CIWS amidships resembling the Chinese Type 730, and a Pantsir-M-type air-defense system positioned aft of the funnel, combining short-range missiles as it was reported in the previous paragraph, with twin six-barrel 30 mm rotary cannons.
Additional weapons include two twin 533mm torpedo launchers and six decoy-launching systems of two different types (4 x 40-tube launchers and 2 x 12-tube launchers) for anti-aircraft and anti-torpedo defense. Close-range defensive armament is further strengthened by ten twin remotely controlled 14.5mm weapon systems as well as two gatling machine guns and six 14.5mm KPVT heavy machine guns concealed within the superstructure.
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