- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected the construction of a new warship at the Nampho Shipyard as part of efforts to modernise the nation's navy and secure its sea borders.
- State media described the vessel as “incomparably huge” compared to previous models, with experts identifying it as a 10,000-ton cruiser designed to launch long-range cruise missiles.
- The warship project forms part of Kim's five-year defence plan, which aims to produce two surface warships each year to expand North Korea's maritime capability.
- The inspection occurs amid rising tensions between the Koreas, following a landmine explosion in the Demilitarised Zone and the unexplained death of a South Korean soldier near the border.
- North Korea has also conducted its sixth missile test within two months, firing multiple strategic cruise missiles off its east coast.
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