The launch accident of the second 5,000-ton “Choi Hyun” class destroyer, the “Kang Kon,” did not stop North Korea’s shipbuilding plans, and the third “Choi Hyun” class destroyer has officially begun construction!
According to a report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 22, the mobilization ceremony for North Korea’s third “Choi Hyun”-class multi-purpose destroyer was held at the Nampo Shipyard on the 21st local time.
At the mobilization meeting, North Korea announced the official launch of the construction of its third “Choi Hyun” class multi-purpose destroyer, with completion and delivery scheduled for October 10, 2026. If completed on schedule, the construction will take only 445 days.
It is understood that the Nampo Shipyard is the main construction base for North Korea’s “Choi Hyun” class destroyer project. Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, visited the Nampo Shipyard as many as 10 times in more than a year to guide the shipyard’s warship construction work.
On April 25, 2025, the first 5,000-ton “Choi Hyun” class destroyer was successfully launched at the Nampo Shipyard. The ship is named after Choi Hyun, a founding hero of North Korea, and is expected to be delivered and put into service in early 2026, meaning that it will be built in just over 400 days.
On June 12, 2025, the second “Choi Hyun” – class destroyer successfully completed its second launching at Rajin Shipyard and was named “Kang Kon”. Kang Kon was the first Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army and was killed during the Korean War.
The first launching of the “Kang Kon” took place at the Chongjin Shipyard on May 21, using a side-slip method. However, an accident occurred during the launching process, causing the ship to capsize. After the incident, North Korean officials claimed that “the extent of damage to the ship is not serious,” but the industry generally speculates that the ship was severely damaged and is unlikely to be repaired in a short period of time.
But North Korea miraculously towed the destroyer to the dry dock of the Rajin Shipyard for repairs and re-launched it in just 22 days.
It is worth noting that at the relaunch ceremony for the “Kang Kon”, North Korea clearly stated its plan to build two “Choi Hyun” class or higher class destroyers each year starting in 2026. Just over a month later, the third “Choi Hyon” class destroyer was put on the construction schedule.