The ''Choe Hyon''-class destroyer () is a class of

guided-missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a pr ...

s of the

Korean People's Navy The Korean People's Army Navy (KPANF; ) or the Korean People's Navy (KPN) is the Navy, naval component of the Korean People's Army, the North Korean armed forces. There are some 780 vessels including 70 midget submarines (including the Yono-cla ...

(KPN). The first vessel, the ''

Choe Hyon Choe Hyon (, 6 May 1907 – 10 April 1982), also known as Sai Ken (after the Japanese pronunciation of his name), was a North Korean general and politician. Born in China to ethnic Korean parents, Choe fought in the anti-Japanese struggle from ...

'', was unveiled by the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

on 30 December 2024. The second ship, ''Kang Kon'',

capsized Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fr ...

during

launch Launch or launched may refer to: Involving vehicles * Launch (boat), one of several different sorts of boat ** Motor launch (naval), a small military vessel used by the Royal Navy * Air launch, the practice of dropping an aircraft, rocket, or ...

but was eventually restored to upright position and launched on 12 June 2025.

History

During

Kim Jong Un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

's visit to the

Nampo Shipyard The Namp'o Shipyard Complex, sometimes known as Nampho Dockyardhttps://www.nknews.org/pro/north-korea-building-new-warship-likely-to-be-countrys-largest-photos-show/ and Nampho Port,https://www.38north.org/2024/11/construction-expands-at-nampho-po ...

in February 2024, the North Korean leader said that increasing the country's naval power is the most important issue in defending its seas, and pushed ahead with the planned warships building, completing them by the end of current Five-Year Plan in January 2026. The ''Choe Hyon'' class is likely part of the warship building program. On 25 April 2025, ''Choe Hyon'' was launched. On 12 June, when the second ship launched,

approved a plan to build two more 5,000-ton destroyers in 2026.

Development

Name

The lead ship was named after

, a North Korean general who served as a general in the

Northeast Counter-Japanese United Army The Northeast Counter-Japanese United Army, also known as the NAJUA or Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, was the main Counter-Japanese guerrilla army in Northeast China (Manchuria) after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Its prede ...

and later became the Minister of the People's Armed Forces of North Korea. The second ship was named after Korean War general

Kang Kon (; June 23, 1918 – September 8, 1950) was a Korean military leader active in Manchuria and the Korean peninsula as well as a politician during the years leading up to the Korean War and during the first stages of the Korean War in 1950. Bio ...

Design

It is the first surface vessel in the

to be equipped with a

phased array In antenna (radio), antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled Antenna array, array of antennas which creates a radio beam, beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point ...

radar and a

vertical launching system A vertical launching system (VLS) is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and submarines. Each vertical launch system consists of a number of ''cells'', which can hold one or mo ...

Ships in the class

References

{{Choe Hyon class destroyers Destroyer classes Destroyers of the Korean People's Navy