North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the test-firing of strategic cruise and anti-warship missiles from the naval destroyer Choe Hyon on Sunday, state media reported on Tuesday, as Pyongyang declared the strengthening of its nuclear war deterrent an absolute priority. Two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-warship missiles were launched from the 5,000-ton warship in what Pyongyang described as an "operational efficiency test," with state media KCNA claiming all projectiles struck their targets with "ultra-precision hit accuracy" over waters in the Yellow Sea.
The cruise missiles flew for between 7,869 and 7,920 seconds — roughly two hours — while the anti-warship missiles remained airborne for around 33 minutes. The tests were designed to verify the destroyer's integrated weapons command system, assess crew readiness, and confirm the performance of an upgraded anti-jamming navigation system. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed detecting multiple cruise missile launches from the sea near Nampho, a port city on North Korea's western coast, adding that Seoul and Washington were monitoring the situation and maintaining "overwhelming" response capabilities.
The Choe Hyon, first unveiled in April 2025 as part of Pyongyang's push to modernise its navy, had already undergone two rounds of strategic cruise missile tests in March before this latest drill. During Sunday's exercise, Kim declared that the country's military readiness had been "strengthened in a qualitative way" and called for bolstering the nuclear deterrent "steadily and without limit." He was also briefed on weapons plans for two additional destroyers currently under construction, with analysts noting that this appears to be the first official acknowledgment of a fourth vessel of the class being built.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University in South Korea, said the accelerating pace of destroyer construction suggested North Korea was working to build a full flotilla rather than deploying individual warships. He added that Pyongyang appeared to be exploiting global strategic distractions — including ongoing conflict in the Middle East — to push forward with advances in nuclear and delivery capabilities.
Some defence analysts also noted the timing of the disclosure, pointing out that it was the first time Pyongyang had publicly revealed an anti-ship missile launch from the Choe Hyon. Shin Jong-woo of the Korea Defense and Security Forum suggested the announcement may also be intended as a show of military strength amid heightened tensions elsewhere in the region. South Korea's unification ministry, which oversees inter-Korean affairs, said the test appeared consistent with a five-year defence plan unveiled by Pyongyang at a party congress in February, and may represent a final systems check ahead of the destroyer's formal commissioning into the navy.