North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his navy to build a 10,000-ton destroyer and develop secret underwater weapons, ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media reported Saturday.

According to the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, Kim supervised a naval test on Thursday, boarding the 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon and observing another 5,000-ton warship, the Choe Hyon, as he continues to visit military and weapons sites before Xi's visit. The Kang Kon had partially capsized during a launch ceremony last year and had to be repaired.

On Thursday, Kim called for an “exponential” expansion of his country’s atomic arsenal during a visit to a newly opened nuclear material production facility.

Xi will visit Pyongyang from June 8 to 9, the Chinese leader’s second visit in seven years, as he seeks to bring North Korea, its only formal treaty ally, back into the fold amid its close ties with Russia.

Kim said Pyongyang had to enhance its naval capabilities to deter a nuclear attack and called for powerful military capabilities across land, sea and air, Rodong Sinmun reported.

During his ship inspection, Kim was joined by his daughter, believed to be a teenager named Ju Ae, according to a photo released by the state news outlet.

In May 2025, North Korea announced that a 5,000-ton destroyer had partially capsized during launch in Chongjin port. Kim, who was overseeing the ceremony, condemned the accident as a “criminal act” that could not be tolerated. Once the ship was repaired at Rajin port, a second launching ceremony was held the following month, and the vessel was named Kang Kon.

Hong Min, a senior analyst at South Korea’s Institute for National Unification, told Reuters that this was the first time North Korea had mentioned a plan to build a 10,000-ton destroyer. Hong added that Kim might be looking to showcase his country’s capabilities before Xi’s visit.

Source: www.aljazeera.com