Key facts
- Kim Jong Un oversaw a cruise missile launch.
- The launch was from a new naval destroyer named Kang Kon.
- Kim Jong Un ordered the Kang Kon commissioned within two months.
- Kim Jong Un supervised tests of a nuclear-capable cruise missile.
- Kim Jong Un supervised tests of other weapons.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged long-term and stable development of ties with North Korea.
- Xi Jinping sent a message to Kim Jong-un.
- Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Xi Jinping.
- The congratulatory message was on the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has supervised the testing of a nuclear-capable cruise missile and other weapons aboard a newly commissioned naval destroyer named Kang Kon. Kim ordered that the destroyer be commissioned within two months. This event highlights North Korea's ongoing military development and its strategic positioning.
In parallel, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to Kim Jong-un, vowing to ensure the "long-term and stable" development of relations between China and North Korea. This diplomatic exchange occurred shortly after Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Xi Jinping on the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. These interactions underscore the continued diplomatic engagement between the two nations, despite international scrutiny of North Korea's military activities.