Kim Jong-un demands nuclear navy

The North Korean leader has said the move would help defend state and maritime sovereignty

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called to accelerate arming the country’s navy with nuclear weapons, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday.

Kim made the statement while attending a weapons system test of the DPRK’s Choe Hyon multi-mission destroyer ship. After witnessing the demonstration, he is said to have noted that the warship’s firepower still relies on conventional weaponry and “cannot be called a reliable means of maritime defense.”

It is “high time to make a responsible option for accelerating the nuclearization of the Navy in order to defend the state and its maritime sovereignty from existing and future threats,” Kim announced, according to KCNA.

Russia has also pledged to help protect North Korea if such a need arises. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier this week that the defense agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang is still “in effect.” The deal obligates both parties to provide immediate military assistance to each other if necessary.

The partnership treaty was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim in June 2024 after which North Korean troops officially joined Moscow’s military operation aimed at repelling a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region.

READ MORE: White House preparing for possible Trump-Kim talks – Axios

Putin has since expressed gratitude to Pyongyang’s soldiers for the role they played in liberating the region and noted that they had demonstrated a great deal of’ “heroism, high level of specialized training and bravery.”