By AFP and Kontur | 2025-05-02

SEOUL -- North Korea has unveiled a 5,000-ton destroyer-class warship named Choe Hyon, which analysts say could carry short-range tactical nuclear missiles, prompting South Korea's military to investigate whether Russia provided technological or financial assistance in its development.

"Looking at the weapons and equipment that were revealed, we believe that there is a possibility that they received technology, funds or assistance from Russia," Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Lee Sung-jun told reporters in South Korea May 1.

"We are conducting a more detailed analysis."

The Choe Hyon appears to feature advanced systems uncommon in North Korean shipbuilding, including vertical launch systems and a radar array resembling Russia's Pantsir-M air defense system, fueling suspicions of Russian involvement.

This unveiling is part of a wider pattern of deepening military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. North Korea April 28 confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops to Russia to support Moscow in its war in Ukraine.

The two countries also announced this week that they had started building the first road bridge linking the two neighbors.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the first day of a two-day weapon test of the vessel this week, according to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), during which he ordered officials to work on "accelerating the nuclear armament of the navy."

North Korea has said the destroyer, which it claimed is equipped with the "most powerful weapons," would "enter into operation early next year."

During the test, Kim said the North's ship-based firepower system was "effectively combined" with the "most powerful strike means including supersonic cruise missile, strategic cruise missile and tactical ballistic missile."

Its deployment is likely to require more time, said Lee of the South Korean JCS.

"In the case of warships it takes several years to build, and even after completion, it takes additional time for them to become operational," Lee said.

"So although the Choe Hyon has been unveiled, it seems likely that considerably more time will be needed for its (operational) deployment."

The warship launch and troop deployment are unfolding against the backdrop of a landmark defense agreement signed by Russia and North Korea in 2024, which includes a mutual defense clause. This pact followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's rare visit to Pyongyang, marking a significant shift in Russo-North Korean ties.

600 N. Korean soldiers killed fighting for Russia

These strengthened ties already have taken a human toll. About 600 North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia against Ukraine have been killed and thousands more wounded, a Seoul lawmaker said April 30, after Pyongyang confirmed deploying troops to aid Moscow.

"So far, North Korean troop casualties are estimated at about 4,700, including approximately 600 deaths," MP Lee Seong-kweun, a member of parliament's intelligence committee, told reporters after a briefing by the South Korean spy agency.

Pyongyang's soldiers helped Moscow reclaim territory under Ukrainian control in the Russian border region of Kursk, KCNA claimed.

Moscow had separately confirmed the North's participation, after months of official silence from both countries, even as Seoul and Washington accused Pyongyang of sending ever more troops and weapons to help.

Nuclear-armed North Korea has taken about 2,000 soldiers back this year, Lee the MP said, and reportedly is holding them in isolation in Pyongyang and at other locations across the country.

"It is understood that the bodies of fallen soldiers were cremated locally in Kursk before being transported" back to North Korea, he added.

North Korea "supported Russia's recapture of Kursk by deploying 18,000 troops in two phases," Lee said, adding that the number of clashes in the area had decreased since around March.

Since then, "there have been reports of misconduct within North Korean forces, including excessive drinking and theft," he said.

Combat capability 'significantly improved'

South Korea has repeatedly slammed the troop deployment and criticized the North for sending container-loads of weapons, including missiles, to aid Russia's war against Ukraine.

The North has received significant technical support from Russia in return, Seoul claimed.

In addition, after six months of fighting, Seoul's National Intelligence Service estimates that the North Korean forces' "combat capability has significantly improved," Lee the MP said.

"Early inexperience has diminished, and they have become more proficient in using new weapon systems, including drones," he said.

It is not possible to "entirely rule out" that the North could send more soldiers to Russia, he said.

The troops sent to Russia, reportedly from North Korea's elite Storm Corps, have orders to kill themselves rather than surrender, Seoul has previously said.

Moscow and Pyongyang have boosted their military cooperation since Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Pyongyang launched a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of United Nations sanctions.

The North may be testing weapons for export to Russia for use against Ukraine, analysts have warned.