Upon presiding over the commissioning ceremony of the Choe Hyon destroyer, the new flagship of the Korean People’s Army Navy (KPAN), Kim thanked the workers, scientists, and technicians of the naval industry for their efforts in bringing to fruition a project considered historic.

The North Korean leader emphasized at the port of Nampo that the commissioning of the vessel marks the beginning of a new era in the DPRK’s maritime defense, with the capacity to protect national sovereignty and operate in any water.

He further explained that the ship, built entirely with domestic resources and technology, symbolizes the end of decades of stagnation in the Navy and the beginning of speedy modernization.

KCNA published Kim’s speech, in which he welcomed the country’s overcoming of technical barriers and its ability to produce large-scale destroyers, cruisers, and submarine systems, to consolidate an independent industrial base.

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