Kim Jong Un commissions second destroyer, vows stronger nuclear deterrent amid allied drills

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has commissioned a second naval destroyer and called for a more reliable nuclear deterrent, state media reported on Monday, as the United States, South Korea and Japan began a trilateral military exercise Kim has long described as a security threat.

The destroyer Kang Kon was commissioned at a ceremony in the eastern port city of Wonsan on Sunday. Kim was accompanied by his teenage daughter, whom South Korea's intelligence agency has described as a likely successor. Photographs released by North Korean state media showed the girl in a white dress and blazer walking beside her father on a red carpet, touring the warship and posing with sailors.

The new vessel is a 5,000-tonne destroyer equipped with nuclear-capable missiles. A similar ship, the Choe Hyon, joined the navy in June. Together, they are regarded as the most advanced warships in North Korea's fleet.

In remarks at the ceremony, Kim said the consecutive commissionings had deepened concerns among enemies and enabled the navy to use its nuclear deterrent in a more diversified and practical manner. He was quoted as saying, "Concerns of the enemies will be surely deepened. We must establish more clearly a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent, to put into practice the diverse and effective operation of our nuclear combat systems and further strengthen our military activities for maritime defence and war deterrence."

The exercise, named Freedom Edge, began on Monday in waters off South Korea's southern Jeju island and is set to last five days. South Korea's military has described the exercise as defensive in nature and aimed at responding to North Korea's nuclear threats.

North Korea has long condemned such joint exercises as rehearsals for an invasion. Last week, the North's Foreign Ministry accused the United States of openly displaying a confrontational posture, citing Freedom Edge and reported comments by US officials that Washington remains committed to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea.

The commissioning follows a recent change in US-South Korean military drills. On August 21, the allies concluded their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise six days earlier than planned after President Donald Trump said he had ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the drill. Trump cited what he described as a good relationship with Kim, who sees the exercises as invasion rehearsals.

Kim Yo Jong, Kim's sister and a senior official, dismissed Trump's move, saying that shortening the exercise would not alter its "provocative, aggressive nature." North Korea subsequently launched about ten short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, in what appeared to be a response to the earlier US-South Korean drill.

Kim Jong Un has previously said he could return to talks if the United States drops its "hostile policy" toward North Korea and accepts its status as a nuclear state. Diplomacy between Kim and Trump collapsed in 2019 over disagreements on economic relief in exchange for limited denuclearisation steps. Analysts say Kim now has greater leverage, given his advancing nuclear programme and deepening ties with Russia and China.