Kim Jong Un has unveiled North Korea's newest destroyer, the Kang Kon, at a commissioning ceremony in Wonsan on 7 September, attended by his teenage daughter, widely regarded as his likely successor. The 5,000-tonne warship, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons, is North Korea's second such vessel after the Choe Hyon entered service in June, and experts believe both were built with Russian assistance. Kim framed the additions as strengthening his country's nuclear deterrent at sea, part of a broader shift in focus from ballistic missiles towards modernising the navy.

Kim said the two destroyers would allow North Korea to operate its nuclear forces "in a more diversified, practical manner" and warned that "the enemies' concerns will surely be deepened." He also teased a further "significant" naval development due within eight months, which observers link to his ambition of acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine. The unveiling coincided with the start of the US, South Korea and Japan's five-day Freedom Edge military exercise, which North Korea's defence minister condemned as provocative, while Pyongyang's foreign ministry separately accused Washington of hardening its confrontational stance.