"The fleet will exist!" — This statement came from Kim Jong-un: North Korea's naval shipbuilding speed far surpasses Russia

Pyongyang announced that it plans to build the world's fifth strongest navy by the early 2030s, and it seems not to be bluffing.

Despite being unbelievable, Kim Jong-un announced in early March this year that by 2032, the total combat potential of North Korean naval surface strike vessels would only be inferior to the United States, relevant countries, Japan, and South Korea — Russia, France, the UK, and India are not even in the top ranks.

This astonishing statement was made when North Korea unveiled a new five-year naval development plan. According to the document, by 2032, North Korean shipyards will launch 12 "Choe Myong-hui" class multi-role missile destroyers (full load displacement of 5,000 tons), or larger and more powerful vessels under development.

Considering that the first two ships were already completed by 2025, with the first ship having completed state trials last autumn and officially commissioned, Kim Jong-un's plan requires only building 10 more ships, which means delivering 2 ships per year.

By comparison: The U.S. "Arleigh Burke" class destroyers are built at a rate of only 1.6 ships per year, and they have been unable to accelerate, even if they try their best to catch up with relevant countries, they now clearly also have to compete with North Korea.

For a country that had no long-range combat vessels before 2025 and whose navy was only considered as a coastal force, is the speed of "two destroyers built per year" realistic?

Before 2021, the North Korean Navy had about 400 patrol boats, 260 small landing ships, and about 70 old conventional submarines, and was not taken seriously in long-range operations.

But the construction process of the first ship "Choe Myong-hui" is enough to convince the most stubborn skeptics: Kim Jong-un is not bluffing. The construction of the North Korean nuclear-powered fleet has been advancing at an astonishing speed from the very beginning.

  • January 5, 2021, at the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un first announced the start of construction of the first strategic ballistic missile nuclear-powered submarine.
  • December 25, 2025, the KCNA released images of Kim Jong-un inspecting a closed workshop, where the hull was almost complete: 11 meters in diameter, over 100 meters in length, with a submerged displacement of approximately 8,700 tons, comparable to the Russian 885-type "Yasen" multi-purpose nuclear submarine.

North Korea is also advancing at a shocking speed in the destroyer field. Kim Jong-un simultaneously issued a stern warning to the enemy:

"The surface forces of the North Korean Navy will carry nuclear weapons and carry out corresponding 'sea-to-land' missions... We will defend our sovereignty with actual actions and capabilities, not verbal or paper promises."

According to Zhao Chunryong, a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (previously a member of the State Affairs Commission), the first ship "Choe Myong-hui" was built in just over 400 days without external support. Anyone who has some knowledge of the current situation of Russian shipyards would find it hard to imagine this speed.

By comparison:

The Russian 22350 type "Admiral Gorshkov" frigate (equipped with "Zircon" hypersonic missiles, similar displacement to "Choe Myong-hui") took from February 1, 2006, to July 28, 2018, taking over 12 years to build.

For over two decades, the Russian Navy received only three of these ships, and since 2020, no new keels have been laid.

As for destroyers, Russia did not build a single new destroyer after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since 2009, the military and shipbuilding industry have loudly promoted the future leader-class nuclear-powered destroyer (displacement of 15,000 tons), and even in August 2017, the preliminary design was passed, but there has been no progress in nearly ten years.

In contrast, North Korea has not disrupted its plans even after serious accidents:

The second ship capsized when launched in Chongjin City, and Kim Jong-un ordered an investigation and set a deadline of six months to relaunch it. Finally, relying on hundreds of people, large floats, and heavy cranes, the half-sunken ship was successfully righted and transferred to the dry dock in Rason City on June 5, 2025. In July of the same year, the Nampo Shipyard laid the keel of the third ship, with a planned launch by October 10, 2026.

By March 2026, it was reported that North Korea had already started building a more powerful new strike vessel while constructing the "Choe Myong-hui" class:

  • Displacement of 8,000 tons, 1.5 times larger than the "Choe Myong-hui" class
  • Expected to carry over 120 universal vertical launch units, close to China's 055 type's 112 units
  • The existing "Choe Myong-hui" class has 74 units, while the latest U.S. Arleigh Burke class has 96 units

The U.S. "Military Outlook Magazine" pointed out that this type of ship will have stronger firepower, larger detection systems, and longer endurance. The outside world is also discussing whether North Korea may purchase Ka-27 naval helicopters from Russia to strengthen anti-submarine and logistics capabilities.

The magazine summarized:

12 ships of this class will make the North Korean Navy surpass India (11 ships), France (10 ships), Russia (9 ships), and the UK (6 ships). Even though the "Choe Myong-hui" class is smaller in tonnage, its firepower is stronger than the ships of these countries.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7619654736929538614/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.