SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced Friday that his military will position new long-range artillery weapons this year with the capability to reach South Korea’s capital area, while also preparing to put the nation’s first naval destroyer into active service within weeks.
This declaration follows recent reports from South Korea indicating that North Korea’s updated constitution has removed all mentions of Korean reunification, aligning with Kim Jong Un’s pledges to sever relations with South Korea and create a two-nation framework on the Korean Peninsula.
On Wednesday, Kim toured a weapons manufacturing facility to examine the production of 155-mm self-propelled gun-howitzers scheduled for placement at an artillery position near the southern border before year’s end, according to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The news agency quoted Kim stating that the firing distance of this heavy-caliber weapon exceeds 60 kilometers (37 miles). “Such a rapid extension of striking range and remarkable improvement of striking capability will provide a great change and advantage in the land operations of our army,” Kim said according to KCNA.
Kim indicated that multiple operational and tactical missile platforms along with advanced multiple rocket launcher systems are also planned for border deployment.
While North Korea’s artillery weapons receive less international scrutiny than its ballistic missiles, which face U.N. Security Council launch prohibitions, the country currently maintains numerous artillery pieces positioned near the South Korean border. These weapons present a significant danger to Seoul, South Korea’s capital housing 10 million residents located approximately 40 to 50 kilometers (25 to 30 miles) from the border.
KCNA reported that Kim boarded the destroyer Choe Hyon on Thursday to evaluate its performance capabilities off North Korea’s western coastline. Kim directed officials to transfer the vessel to naval forces by mid-June as planned, after expressing satisfaction that all testing for the destroyer’s operational readiness proceeded without issues, the news agency stated.
Photographs released by KCNA showed Kim’s teenage daughter accompanying him on the destroyer during her most recent public appearance with her father. One image captured her positioned behind Kim as he addressed navy personnel, while another depicted them sharing a meal with the ship’s crew. South Korea’s intelligence agency suggested last month that she might be viewed as Kim’s potential successor.
The destroyer, which received significant publicity when revealed last year, represents North Korea’s largest and most sophisticated naval vessel. North Korea subsequently introduced a second destroyer of identical design, though it sustained damage during a failed launch event. Kim has expressed intentions to construct two additional destroyers.
Kim’s recent military facility visits occurred after South Korea announced Wednesday that North Korea’s new constitution eliminated previous commitments to peaceful reunification with South Korea and redefined the country’s boundaries to include only the northern portion of the Korean Peninsula.
These modifications reflect Kim’s increasingly aggressive position toward South Korea, which he has designated as his nation’s eternal and primary adversary while diplomatic efforts remain stagnant and tensions escalate over his nuclear programs. In January 2024, Kim directed constitutional revisions to remove concepts of shared governance with South Korea, a move that would abandon his predecessors’ longstanding aspirations of peacefully achieving Korean unity under Northern terms.
Kim’s hostile rhetoric toward the South has dealt a significant blow to Seoul’s progressive administration, which seeks renewed engagement and has implemented preliminary measures to reduce tensions, including ending propaganda transmissions along the border.
North Korea has rejected dialogue opportunities with both South Korea and the United States, instead concentrating on expanding its nuclear and missile capabilities since Kim’s comprehensive nuclear negotiations with President Donald Trump failed in 2019.
