Class overview
Builders	Nampo Shipyard Hambuk Shipyard
Operators	Korean People's Navy
Built	2024–present
In commission	2026–present
Planned	4
Building	2
Completed	2
Active	2
General characteristics
Type	Guided-missile destroyer
Displacement	5,000 t (4,900 long tons)
Length	~144–145 metres (472 ft 5 in – 475 ft 9 in)
Beam	~16 m (52 ft 6 in)
Sensors & processing systems	Phased array radars Type 362 air/surface search radar 3 × fire-control radars 2 × navigation radars Hull-mounted sonar IFF system
Electronic warfare & decoys	4 × countermeasures dispensers R-ESM R-ECM
Armament	1 × 127 mm (5.0 in) or 130 mm (5.1 in) naval gun 1 × Pantsir-ME CIWS 2 × 30? mm CIWS 8 x 1 14.5mm KPV heavy machine gun 88 × VLS cells of various sizes for guided missiles 4 × 4 anti-ship missile launchers 2 × 2 533 mm (21.0 in) DTA-53 torpedo launchers
Aircraft carried	1 × helicopter or UAV
Aviation facilities	Flight deck
Notes	References[1][2][3][4][5][6]

The Choe Hyon-class destroyer (Korean: 《최현》급다목적구축함)^[7] is a class of guided-missile destroyers of the Korean People's Navy (KPN). The first vessel, the Choe Hyon, was unveiled by the Korean People's Army on 30 December 2024. The second ship, Kang Kon, capsized during launch but was eventually restored to upright position and relaunched on 12 June 2025.

History

During Kim Jong Un's visit to the Nampo Shipyard in February 2024, the North Korean leader said that increasing the country's naval power is the most important issue in defending its seas, and pushed ahead with the planned warships building, completing them by the end of current Five-Year Plan in January 2026. The Choe Hyon class is likely part of the warship building program.^[8]

On 25 April 2025, the first ship, Choe Hyon was launched.^[9][10] The second ship, Kang Kon, was unsuccessfully launched on 21 May.^[11] On 12 June, it was successful in the relaunch attempt, and Kim Jong Un approved a plan to build two more 5,000-ton destroyers in 2026.^[12][13] A month later, on 21 July, workers of Nampo Shipyard began construction of the third ship, planned for completion on the 81st Party Foundation Day in October 2026.^[14][15]

On 12 April 2026, Kim Jong Un claimed that construction of a fourth ship has begun.^[16]

At the Choe Hyon's commissioning ceremony on 23 June 2026, Kim Jong Un revealed North Korea's five-year plan to build two Choe Hyon-class destroyer each year, alongside 10,000-ton cruiser.^[6][17][18]

Development

Ships in the class

See also

• List of destroyer classes in service

Equivalent destroyers of the same era

• Visakhapatnam class
• Hobart class
• Asahi class
• Type 052D

References

Further reading

• Bomi Kim (30 July 2026). "More Than a Destroyer: What Choe Hyon Reveals About North Korea's Maritime Strategy". 38 North. Archived from the original on 2 August 2026.