North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that thoroughly exercising North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state is the "most correct and unique way" to respond to the complex and unpredictable global security environment. He made the remarks during the Central Committee meeting of the Workers’ Party held June 20 to 22, 2026, in Pyongyang [1, 2, 3].
Kim condemned military modernization by the United States and South Korea, accusing them of escalating nuclear threats and regional tensions. He singled out their combined nuclear postures and plans for nuclear-powered submarines as particularly provocative. He also criticized Japan for "openly" turning itself into a "war state" by shedding restrictions and seeking to build military power. Kim called Japan’s actions dangerous and alarming to the international community [1, 4, 5, 3].
At a commissioning ceremony June 23 in Nampo port for the new 5,000-ton multipurpose destroyer Choe Hyon, Kim announced a plan to accelerate naval expansion. He pledged to build annually two surface warships larger than the Choe Hyon over the next five years, including a 10,000-ton strategic guided missile cruiser currently under construction. He added that North Korea’s navy will be equipped with nuclear weapons as part of this strategic expansion [6, 7, 8].
Kim called the naval nuclear armament plan "a very important strategic move" and said that after the Choe Hyon, the Kang Kon destroyer would soon join service. He emphasized building "strong, reliable self-defensive deterrent forces" and accelerating military modernization to counter "US-led hegemonic threats" [6, 7, 5, 3].
North Korea remains under UN and US sanctions banning nuclear and ballistic missile development, but Kim reaffirmed that strengthening nuclear war power and exercising nuclear weapons state status was "the only road" to defend against perceived threats [1, 2, 9, 3].
The Central Committee meeting and naval ceremony this week mark the latest stages in Pyongyang's ongoing military buildup. The construction and commissioning of new large warships is a concrete step in the expanding naval program announced by Kim.
North Korea’s announced plans set a target of building two surface warships annually larger than 5,000 tons for the next five years, including a 10,000-ton cruiser already underway. The international community continues to monitor these developments amid ongoing sanctions and diplomatic pressure [6, 8].
