NORTH Korea has unveiled a new nuke destroyer after its previous warship was “crushed” in a catastrophic launch last year.
It comes as Kim Jong-Un opens a new bridge to Russia as part of the dictator’s continued effort to supply Vladimir Putin‘s war machine with weapons.
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The North Korean leader unveiled his new warship on Sunday, with state media claiming the 5,000-tonne guided-missile destroyer can carry nukes as well as conventional missiles.
Kim claimed the Kang Kon could deliver “annihilating retaliatory strikes” as part of Pyongyang’s nuclear response system.
He claimed to have blasted nuclear-capable cruise missiles from the destroyer in July tests.
It’s North Korea‘s second warship after the Choe Hyon, which was commissioned in June.
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The Kang Kon was commissioned into the army a year after an embarrassing botched launch of another North Korean warship in May last year.
Mortified Kim watched on in horror as the destroyer, thought to be built with help from his despot pal Putin, lost balance during its launch ceremony and capsized.
Satellite pictures later revealed the huge warship lying on its side beside the launch dock, partially sunk at its stern.
The deranged dictator claimed the “serious accident” at the launch was a “criminal act” and vowed to punish those found responsible.
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North Korea’s state broadcaster said a malfunction caused the stern of the ship to slide into the water too early, crushing parts of the hull.
The new ship has entered service as Kim and his fellow tyrant Putin opened the first land bridge between their two countries across the Tumen River.
Previously, the only land connection between the two dictatorships was the Soviet-era Friendship Bridge rail crossing, which was opened in 1959.
The bridge itself is just half a- mile long, with Moscow insisting it will boost trade, tourism and cultural links.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said: “I am convinced that the expansion of cross-border transport infrastructure will provide a powerful impetus for the further development of trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation.”
But fears are growing that the new route will enable the nutty North Korean leader to pump even more weapons into Russia to prop up pal Putin’s bloodthirsty war on Ukraine.
Ammo, troops and military technology could soon move at pace across the new border crossing, which is capable of handling 300 vehicles daily.
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It could uncork the logistics bottleneck faced by the two dictatorships, who previously had to rely on rail or sea routes to trade weapons.
Ukraine’s military intelligence estimates that Pyongyang has supplied Russia with more than seven million artillery and mortar rounds, over 100 ballistic missiles and hundreds of artillery systems since 2023.
Kim has also sent tens of thousands of troops to support Putin’s invasion.
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The bridge was named after Soviet officer Yakov Novichenko, who reportedly threw himself over a grenade hurled at North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung.
Construction began in April last year after the dictator duo agreed plans at 2024 talks.