Malaysia secures 20-year Russian energy deal
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North Korea has commissioned a new 5,000-ton destroyer and set out plans to build two large warships annually under its five-year national defence development programme running to 2030, state media reported.
Leader Kim Jong Un was present at a commissioning ceremony held on June 23 in the western port city of Nampho for the multipurpose destroyer Choe Hyon, which was launched in April last year.
He said the combat capability of the country’s navy would grow to be admirable beyond imagination, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim said the navy had previously been the weakest branch of the armed forces but added that the situation had clearly changed, describing its former status as a force limited to defending the sea off the country’s coast as a thing of the past.
He also said a programme to equip the navy with nuclear weapons was proceeding according to plan.
North Korea should build two surface ships each year that are larger and more advanced than the Choe Hyon, including a 10,000-ton cruiser, along with escort vessels and special-purpose ships, Kim added according to Japan’s Kyodo News. He also called for the development and production of underwater weapons systems.
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