North Korea tests re-launched Kang Kon destroyer as it pushes toward a nuclear-enabled navy

North Korea’s 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon, after a botched May 2025 debut, is now seaworthy and testing its weapons—including a main gun, autocannon, and strategic cruise missiles—per state media; Kim Jong Un attended the tests and ordered the ship ready for active duty within two months, part of Pyongyang’s drive to build a nuclear-capable navy with two more destroyers, a 10,000-ton warship, and other projects such as the Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine launched in 2023.