Kim Jong Un unveils destroyer Choe Hyon, touts nuclear navy progress

North Korea has entered a new era of naval power that will project its nuclear capabilities, Kim Jong Un said Tuesday as he unveiled a 5,000-ton destroyer.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has entered a new era of naval power that will project its nuclear capabilities, Kim Jong Un said Tuesday, as he unveiled a 5,000-ton destroyer and vowed to build even larger warships each year.

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The destroyer, named Choe Hyon, signals Kim’s efforts to expand Pyongyang’s military might at sea alongside the longstanding focus on his reclusive regime’s missile arsenal.

The collapse of nuclear talks with President Donald Trump and a more hardline stance toward neighboring South Korea have been allied with deepening ties with Russia and China as well as an expanding nuclear arsenal.