Middle East Ablaze as Kim Jong Un Oversees North Korea Warship Test

North Korea conducted a warship test this week involving the launch of cruise missiles. The test was directly overseen by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, who praised the effort to arm the North Korean Navy with nuclear weapons. The test coincided with rising tensions in the Middle East after the United States (US) and Israel launched a coordinated strike against Iran since Saturday (28 February). Tehran retaliated by striking targets in Israel and in Gulf states hosting US forces. A report from North Korea’s state news agency, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), cited by AFP on Thursday (5 March 2026), said that Kim Jong Un inspected the Choe Hyon-class ship—one of two ships North Korea launched last year—and oversaw a test or performance evaluation on Tuesday (3 March). In the inspection, Kim Jong Un claimed Pyongyang was in the process of arming the Navy with nuclear weapons. ‘Arming the Navy with nuclear weapons shows satisfactory progress,’ Kim Jong Un said, as quoted by KCNA. ‘All of these achievements represent a radical shift in defending our maritime sovereignty, something we have not achieved for half a century,’ he added. The next day, KCNA said, Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of surface-to-sea cruise missiles from the North Korean warship. ‘Carried out successfully,’ KCNA claimed in its report. The test came shortly after Kim Jong Un chaired the ruling Workers’ Party Congress, the five-yearly gathering in North Korea, where he renewed military development goals and vowed to respond to threats decisively. Pyongyang carried out this test as its main adversary, the US, was bombarding Iran in a joint operation with Israel, which it says aims to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program, missiles and navy. North Korea had previously condemned the US-Israel attack on Iran as ‘illegal aggression’ and described the US as ‘a gangster.’ Meanwhile, the Choe Hyon warship tested is one of two 5,000-ton destroyer-class vessels owned by North Korea. The two warships were launched last year as part of Kim Jong Un’s drive to boost the country’s naval capability. A third vessel, which KCNA said was under construction, was also inspected by Kim Jong Un on Wednesday (4 March). Former president of the University of North Korea Studies, Yang Moo Jin, told AFP that Kim Jong Un’s latest move appears to be ‘intended as a show of strength amid the ongoing Iran situation and ahead of the upcoming South Korea–US joint military drills.’