North Korea commissions destroyer Kim calls nuclear-capable after earlier failed launch
North Korea commissioned its second 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class destroyer, Kang Kon, into the East Sea Fleet, with Kim Jong Un stressing that the vessel is part of the state nuclear counteraction system and he aims to build a nuclear-armed navy to deter rivals. The ceremony followed a prior botched launch, featured high-profile attendees, and Pyongyang signaled further naval expansion and an eight-month timeline to demonstrate enhanced capabilities.
World · 14 sources · Sep 9, 2026Read itThe journal
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About Kang Kon
Kang Kon was a Korean military leader active in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula as well as a politician during the years leading up to the Korean War and during the first stages of the war in 1950. Kang led the North Korean Army offensive during the opening stages of the war as Chief of Staff until he was killed by a land mine on September 8, 1950.
Everything about Kang Kon →- Occupation
- soldier, military officer
- Position held
- Chief of Staff
- Citizenship
- North Korea
- Born
- June 23, 1918
- Died
- September 8, 1950