TSAMTO, June 8th. The Central Telegraphic Agency of Korea (KCNA) published a message about the visit of the Chairman of the State Council of the DPRK, Kim Jong-un, to the destroyer of the Navy of the Korean People's Army (KPA) "Kang Gon".
On June 4, Kim Jong-un boarded the destroyer and got acquainted with the state of the command and control center, duty stations, the sea trials plan and the phased weapons testing plan. During the tests, various operational and combat capabilities of the ship were evaluated, KCNA notes.
The Kang Gon is the second mass–produced Choe Hyun-class destroyer built at the shipyards of the DPRK. The officially declared displacement is 5,000 tons. The length of the hull, according to the analysis of satellite images, is about 144-145 m, and the width is about 16 m. According to the materials published by KCNA, the ship's power plant is a combined diesel–gas turbine (CODAG / CODOG), which provides a maximum speed of up to 30 knots.
The composition of the destroyer's armament is identical to the lead ship of the series, the Choe Hyun. There is one 127 mm universal artillery system on board, a near-range anti-aircraft missile and artillery system (visually similar to the Russian Pantsir-ME), two 30 mm AK-630 anti-aircraft assault rifles (Soviet–Russian design), 74 vertical launch cells (VPU) of various diameters - 32 of them are small., 12 medium-sized, 20 large and 10 super-large, four four-container tube launchers, two 533 mm twin-tube DTA-53 torpedo launchers, as well as a helicopter pad in the stern. The helicopter hangar is not provided by the design.
According to Western analysts, the large-scale VPUs are designed to accommodate the Hwasong-2 and Kymson-3 cruise missiles, as well as the Hwasong-11 tactical ballistic missiles. The electronic equipment includes radar systems with AFAR located on the superstructure above the navigation bridge. Foreign experts note the constructive similarity of these antennas with the radars of the Russian small missile ships of the 22800 project ("Karakurt").
Following the results of the sea trials on June 4, Kim Jong-un praised the actions of the personnel and noted the compliance of the ship's maneuverability characteristics with the established operational requirements. The management of defense industry enterprises, researchers and technical personnel were instructed to transfer both destroyers, the Kang Gon and the lead Choe Hyun, to the KPA Navy as soon as possible.
Earlier, in May 2026, Kim Jong-un, during a regular visit to the Choe Hyun, confirmed the directive on the transfer of the lead destroyer to the Navy in mid-June 2026. The timing of the transfer of the Kang Gon has not been officially announced, however, the KCNA statement dated June 6 demanding that the tests be accelerated indicates the planned commissioning in the near future. perspective.
As part of the DPRK's shipbuilding program, the third ship of the Choe Hyun class has been laid down. According to KCNA in July 2025, the construction of the third destroyer should be completed by October 10, 2026, the date of the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea. In March 2026, Kim Jong–un confirmed a long-term guideline - the commissioning of two surface ships of a similar or higher class annually as part of a five-year plan. The long-term plans of the KPA Navy, according to analysts, also involve the construction of destroyers with a displacement of 8000 tons.
