North Korea Begins Building Third 5,000-Ton-Class Destroyer For 2026 Launch

North Korea has started building its third 5,000-ton-class destroyer and plans to complete it by October 10, 2026, which is the founding day of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, according to state media reports.

A rally was held on Monday at the Nampo Shipyard to mark the start of the construction. This ship will be the third of the Choe Hyon-class destroyers. Analysts think the plan is also linked to efforts to expand the country’s ability to deliver tactical nuclear weapons, possibly with help from Russia.

Per Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party, the schedule for the construction was announced during the rally, and work began immediately after.

Jo Chun-ryong, the Workers’ Party’s secretary for the munitions industry, and Yoon Chi-gul, the director of Nampo Shipyard, attended the event along with shipyard workers, engineers, and other officials.

Yoon urged everyone at the shipyard to complete the project on time and show their loyalty by helping to build a strong military. He called on the workers to demonstrate their creativity and determination by finishing the destroyer within the deadline.

This new ship follows the launch of two earlier 5,000-ton-class destroyers. The first one, named Choe Hyon, was launched on April 26. The second, named Kang Kon, was launched on May 21 but capsized shortly after. It was later recovered and relaunched on June 12.

During the relaunch ceremony, Kim Jong-un reportedly said that North Korea would start deploying two destroyers of the Choe Hyon class or larger every year beginning in 2026.

Oh Gyeong-seob, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said that North Korea appears to be trying to build warships that can launch nuclear weapons from the sea.

He linked this to Kim Jong-un’s announcement of a complete break in inter-Korean relations, which happened at a party meeting in late 2023. Since then, North Korea has increased efforts to grow its naval forces.

The October 10, 2026, deadline for finishing the third destroyer is significant because it’s one of the country’s most important political anniversaries. Finishing the warship by that date could also help restore national pride after the Kang Kon’s failed launch.

The first two destroyers were built in less than a year, even though most 5,000 to 8,000-ton-class warships normally take 18 to 24 months to complete.

References: koreajoongangdaily, yna

Source: Maritime Shipping News