The Ministry of Unification anticipates that North Korea will prioritize naval power enhancement guidelines, as decided at the 9th Workers’ Party Congress, as a key component of its five-year plan.
A Ministry official reported on Thursday that Kim Jong Un, the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, conducted a two-day inspection of the destroyer Choe Hyon Ho starting from Tuesday. The official stated that this appears to align with the nuclear armament and operational capability enhancement objectives outlined at the Party Congress. It expects a continued focus on strengthening naval power moving forward.
Rodong Sinmun, the Party’s official newspaper, reported that General Secretary Kim visited the destroyer Choe Hyon Ho on Tuesday and Wednesday. During his visit, he assessed the combat readiness training of the ship’s division and monitored ongoing operational capability evaluation tests for soon-to-be-commissioned vessels. The report also noted that Kim observed a test launch of a strategic cruise missile from the destroyer.
Kim’s recent activities have drawn significant attention, particularly as they coincide with escalating military tensions between the U.S. and Iran, and come just days before the commencement of joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises on March 9.
In January, North Korea conducted hypersonic missile launch training shortly after the U.S. moved to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. At that time, Kim contextualized the launch by referencing recent geopolitical crises and complex international events.
However, during his observation of the recent strategic cruise missile test launch following the Iran situation, Kim refrained from making any specific comments on international affairs.
North Korean state media also reported that on Sniper Day, Kim provided guidelines for sniper training while observing a shooting competition on Tuesday. A U.S. defense official analyzed this development, stating that there’s a growing trend to develop snipers as a core military asset, particularly following lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine. It views this as part of that broader strategic shift.
The official further noted that this appears to be the first time they’ve identified Sniper Day as a commemorative date in North Korea. He added that Kim had previously observed a sniper shooting competition in September last year, making this his second such event in six months.
Last August, Kim inspected a new sniper rifle at a special operations training facility under the direct control of the General Staff Headquarters. During that visit, he also assessed the training status of snipers and special operations units. In September, he observed a shooting competition between the sniper division of the Capital Defense Command and the special mobile unit of the Central Safety Agency.