Although delayed by over five months, North Korea has finally evaluated the operational capability of its first new destroyer and conducted a strategic cruise missile test-fire from the vessel. Coming immediately after the conclusion of the 9th Party Congress and as soon as the Daedong River thawed, this first show of force serves as a political message that ‘the military executes immediately upon the Party’s decision’. Furthermore, by expanding cruise missile launch systems from land-based to maritime platforms, North Korea has strengthened its nuclear warhead delivery capabilities. The multi-round launch of these low-altitude cruise missiles appears to be a show of force directed at the 2026 ROK-U.S. joint exercise, ‘Freedom Shield,’ which is scheduled to begin on March 9th. Furthermore, considering that Kim Jung Un has reiterated the instruction—following a similar order last June—to construct two new naval vessels annually, North Korea is expected to focus heavily on strengthening its naval power equipped with nuclear capabilities.

Meanwhile, due to the potential malfunction of the VLS, it is expected that the operational deployment of this vessel will require more time.