South Korean analyst: Choe Hyon destroyer could pressure allied naval movement

Pyongyang aims to build two Choe Hyon-class ships annually

SEOUL — North Korea’s deployment of the new Choe Hyon-class multipurpose destroyer could gradually escalate the security burden on the South Korea-U.S. alliance by constraining naval movements and pressuring ports and shipping routes, according to a report published June 30 by the Korea Institute for National Unification.

Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the institute, said in the report — titled “The Commissioning of North Korea’s New Multipurpose Destroyer Choe Hyon and Its Strategic Implications” — that the ship integrates several precision-strike weapons on a single platform, including supersonic cruise missiles, strategic cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles. The combination of the destroyer with additional surface ships, submarines, and naval mines could expand North Korea’s ability to deny access to surrounding waters and exert maritime pressure, he said.

“If North Korea operates the ship alongside additional destroyers, submarines and naval mines, its ability to deny access to surrounding waters and exert maritime pressure could expand,” Hong said.

Hong said the expansion of North Korea’s threat could extend toward mainland Japan and U.S. forces stationed there, potentially encouraging greater maritime intelligence sharing among South Korea, the United States, and Japan, as well as closer coordination of missile defense systems, expanded joint naval exercises, and a faster regional arms race.

The addition of multiple sea-based and underwater nuclear delivery platforms would also sharply increase the number of targets that South Korea would need to neutralize through its Kill Chain preemptive-strike system, Hong said. The need to continuously monitor more potential targets and expand multilayered missile defenses could deepen South Korea’s reliance on U.S. extended deterrence and increase pressure to raise defense spending, he added.

During the Choe Hyon’s commissioning ceremony at Nampho Port on June 23, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country’s shipbuilding industry had established a “strong, self-reliant foundation” suited to North Korea’s conditions, according to Hong’s citation of Kim’s remarks. Kim said the country had reached a stage at which it could build and deploy various maritime and underwater combat systems in coastal and open-ocean waters without restrictions.

Hong said the remarks suggested North Korea had completed design reviews for additional vessels and begun construction based on a standardized platform that could support the production of two Choe Hyon-class destroyers annually. Kim’s reference to open-ocean operations also appeared intended to demonstrate North Korea’s ability to deter the United States and South Korea and respond to trilateral security cooperation among Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo, Hong said.

Hong cautioned, however, that North Korea still faces significant challenges involving shipbuilding quality, maintenance, naval base infrastructure, crew training, and the integrated operation of multiple weapons systems. “The practical combat capabilities of the vessels still need to be verified,” he said.

Hong said North Korea continues to lag far behind South Korea in destroyer capabilities, the maturity of air defense and combat management systems, survivability, operational sustainability, and supporting infrastructure. He said it remains uncertain whether North Korea can fully establish the planned naval capabilities within five years.