According to the state-run [North] Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim visited the shipyard in Nampo on Monday to inspect progress in the modernization of the facility and the construction of a new warship.
Kim was quoted as saying that strengthening the navy's capabilities to operate both above and below the water was essential to defending the country's "sovereignty" amid what he described as nuclear threats from regional adversaries and rising geopolitical tensions.
Kim said a powerful navy would require modern shipbuilding facilities equipped with advanced technology, calling for a higher level of automation throughout the production process and ordering the construction of an additional land-based dock that would allow the shipyard to build and repair vessels at the same time.
Kim also expressed satisfaction after inspecting a new warship under construction, praising its size and appearance and describing it as considerably larger and more imposing than the destroyer built last year.
His latest inspection comes amid North Korea's push to expand its naval capabilities, which have traditionally lagged behind those of its ground forces and missile programs.
North Korea has commissioned two 5,000-ton destroyers, the Choe Hyon and the Kang Kon, with the former in Nampo in June and the latter in Wonsan in September.
It has already announced plans to build two surface warships annually including vessels larger than its 5,000-ton destroyers such as a 10,000-ton cruiser, under the country's five-year defense plan.
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