Ceremony for Marking Commissioning of Destroyer Kang Kon Held with Splendor

Pyongyang, September 7 (KCNA) -- At a time when the era of eye-opening transformation in strengthening the Juche-oriented naval forces is being ushered in thanks to the outstanding military strategic ideas and energetic leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea, another powerful warship, which will reliably defend the inviolable maritime sovereignty and interests of our state, was commissioned into the Navy of the Korean People's Army.

The destroyer Kang Kon is the second Choe Hyon-class destroyer possessed of the complex combat capability to perfectly complete the operational mission assigned to it even in any waters by accepting the original conceptions for bolstering the naval combat power in a Korean way. Its commissioning serves as a significant occasion in demonstrating the steadfast will of the Party Central Committee to build an ocean fleet with the ardent desire and aspiration for a rich country with a strong army and its nonstop progress towards the modernization of the Navy.

A ceremony took place at Wonsan Port on September 6 to commemorate the commissioning of the destroyer Kang Kon.

The port, which shows the past and present development of our naval forces as a whole, was filled with the boundless gratitude to Comrade Kim Jong Un who is translating into the present reality the long-cherished desire of the people who had longed for the powerful navy and is injecting the vitality of sure victory into our navy.

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, attended the ceremony.

When Comrade Kim Jong Un arrived at the venue of the ceremony amid the welcome music, the participants broke into enthusiastic cheers out of their absolute trust and boundless reverence for him who set forth the original development orientation for building the modern naval forces and has powerfully guided the struggle for its realization to usher in a new stirring heyday of the navy capable of fully demonstrating the strong strength and spirit of the DPRK in ocean.

The KPA Navy courteously greeted Comrade Kim Jong Un, the outstanding leader and great defender of our state and people, with the highest respect.

There took place a ceremony of greeting the head of state.

Comrade Kim Jong Un reviewed the glorious flag and guard of honor of the KPA Navy.

There was a march-past of the guard of honor of the Navy.

Present there were senior Party and government officials including members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, officials of the WPK Central Committee, leading officials of ministries and national agencies, commanding officers of the Ministry of National Defence and the KPA large combined units, officers and men of the Navy, sailors of the destroyer Kang Kon, naval generals of the former generation, workers, scientists, technicians and officials in the field of shipbuilding industry and citizens, youth and students in Wonsan City.

The sacred flag of the DPRK was hoisted amid the solemn playing of the national anthem.

An art performance was given to commemorate the commissioning of the new-type destroyer.

Put on the stage were pieces of music dealing with the militant course of the Navy of the Republic, which has demonstrated the matchless heroism, bravery and spirit of annihilating enemies to defend the inviolable sea of the motherland, and the life of sailors shining on the voyage of loyalty and songs on the theme of patriotism.

The performance showed through wonderful artistic depiction the high ideological and moral world of the officers and men of the Navy, who are determined to invariably remain faithful to their sacred mission assigned by the Party and the country, setting the coordinates of their life on the voyage of defending the country forever and adding eternal shine to the immortal ennobling name of Comrade Kim Jong Un's navy and its history of victory. It added pleasure to the significant and auspicious event in September.

Then followed a commissioning ceremony of the destroyer.

Jo Chun Ryong, member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the WPK Central Committee, made a report on the preparations for the commissioning of the destroyer Kang Kon.

He said that the destroyer Kang Kon will be formally commissioned into the KPA Navy at a historic time when a new heyday of strengthening the Juche-oriented naval forces is being put on a higher stage, adding that after its launching, the destroyer's combat efficiency and reliability have been comprehensively verified through several-stage professional assessment and test.

On behalf of the workers, scientists and officials in the field of defence industry including Chongjin Shipyard and Rajin Shipyard, he courteously declared that the destroyer Kang Kon with the mission to defend the sea of the DPRK was ready to be delivered to the Navy of the KPA.

Thanks to the outstanding and correct guidance of the Party Central Committee, the rapid growth and development of the naval forces of the Republic has been put on a firm track, he stressed.

Saying that it is the firm faith and high enthusiasm of the workers in the shipbuilding industry and the national defence scientific research group to glorify the great era by building and launching more powerful warships every year, he expressed the determination to ensure the radical development of the naval forces of the DPRK by making more responsible efforts and struggles true to the line of developing the national defence clarified by the Party Congress.

Minister of Shipbuilding Kim Kwang Il handed over the document of delivery of the destroyer Kang Kon to the Navy of the KPA.

Comrade Kim Jong Un made a meaningful speech.

Expressing his historic emotion over the fact that with the high ambition for ocean navigation the destroyer of a new generation came to commence its operation at the port, where the anti-Japanese revolutionary fighters led by President Kim Il Sung dropped anchor of liberation to return home in triumph in September eighty one years ago, he said that the great ambition to build a rich country with a strong army reflected in the small boat "Kaeson(triumphal entry)" has now come to reach the ocean from this memorable port with the latest warship.

Noting that now when everything is insufficient, we have appreciated the requirements of history and present era from the responsible attitude and viewpoint on security in the present and future and courageously challenged with our own style system of calculation, and it was started from the consciousness and mission of the generation never to shift to rising generations the historic great cause of building a powerful navy in conformity with the geographical conditions of a maritime country, he said that the destroyer Kang Kon is an outcome of the DPRK's self-respect, will and strong spirit to defend its rights and interests before being an aggregate of its economic, defence and scientific and technological capabilities.

We should make sure that the diversified and effective operation of nuclear combat systems is conducted for an actual war through developing our navy into a nuclear armed force and military activities for maritime defence and war deterrence are more clearly conducted, and this is the constitutional duty of the armed forces of the DPRK, he said, stating that the responsible activities and important role of the Navy of the DPRK will strictly restrain the enemies' aggression fleets and definitely bring about a result of making them retreat strategically.

Saying that there is no other guarantee for defending peace but to ensure the balance of force and we will show our principled and responsible will to defend the maritime sovereignty of the Republic, the security environment in Northeast Asia and the world peace by deploying the most powerful strategic assets in the most important waters, he clarified again the invariable stand of the WPK and the DPRK government to continuously develop the overwhelming military muscle feared by the hostile forces.

When Comrade Kim Jong Un finished his speech, all the participants expressed their firm pledge to uphold with the most thoroughgoing practical successes the unshakable will of the Party Central Committee to defend the national sovereignty and its policy of building a powerful army, breaking into thunderous cheers of "Hurrah!"

Upon authorization, Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, read out the order of the WPK Central Military Commission on commissioning the destroyer Kang Kon into the KPA Navy, and handed it to Senior Vice Admiral Pak Kwang Sop, commander of the KPA Navy.

On the order of the WPK Central Military Commission, the destroyer will be commissioned into the East Sea Fleet of the KPA Navy to fulfill the responsible mission of defending the maritime sovereignty of the DPRK as the nuclear war deterrent.

On behalf of the sailors of the destroyer, Senior Commander Choe Chol Jin, captain of the destroyer, made an oath-taking speech.

Referring to the great honor and pride of commanding the powerful new-type warship, the captain extended high tribute and thanks on behalf of the warship to the workers of the Chongjin and Rajin shipyards and the relevant sectors of defence industry faithfully upholding the Party Central Committee's grand plan for building the naval forces.

He said that they will sail along the course indicated by the Party Central Committee without an inch of deviation as befits the sailors of the destroyer Kang Kon, a capital ship of the Navy in the new era which shoulders a heavy responsibility of defending the maritime sovereignty with the immortal soul of the army-founding generation, and exercise in a responsible manner the invincible defence capability and tremendous deterrent assigned by the country and the people to the warship.

The captain expressed the will of sure victory of the sailors of the destroyer to vigorously make the voyage of ocean the course of the most brilliant feats, always cherishing the pledge made before Comrade Kim Jong Un and the country and its people at the commissioning ceremony, and thus more highly and fully demonstrate the dignity and honor of the glorious DPRK.

Then, amid the enthusiastic encouragement and cheers of the participants in the ceremony, the sailors of the destroyer got on the warship with the honor of being sailors of the Republic, holding high the fleet flag and the ensign in the van.

There took place a ceremony of hoisting the ensign of the destroyer Kang Kon of the KPA Navy.

Amid the boom of a 9 gun-salute, the ensign was solemnly hoisted on the warship with the wish and militant salute of all the participants.

Comrade Kim Jong Un got on the destroyer.

The captain greeted Comrade Kim Jong Un with the great honor of having the head of state on his warship again before leaving the port.

Going round various combat spaces of the warship, Comrade Kim Jong Un extended warm congratulations and militant encouragement to all the commanding officers and sailors who start their honorable military service together with the DPRK's new-generation destroyer No. 2, which was named after the anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter, with the sacred and important mission of defending the inviolable national sovereignty.

Comrade Kim Jong Un met the sailors on the bow of the destroyer.

The destroyer Kang Kon was awarded the binocular in the name of Comrade Kim Jong Un.

Comrade Kim Jong Un said that today's ceremony of transferring the warship held with splendor amid the blessing of the country and the people constitutes a historic event of making another step forward in improving the operational capability of our navy to the strategic level and a clear proof of the inevitability of our cause of ushering in a heyday of the navy.

He said that once ordered anytime, the new-generation destroyer should deal a deadly retaliatory blow at the enemies as it is a force involved in the state nuclear counteraction system. He expressed belief and expectation that the commanding officers and sailors of the destroyer Kang Kon possessed of the might, spirit and courage of the DPRK would win only victory, covering the militant course of the Navy of the Republic with greater glory, and had a significant photo taken with them.

All the commanding officers and sailors of the destroyer solemnly pledged to glorify the honor of the Navy of the Republic with a record of proud victory, holding fast to the steering of invariable faith and sailing the ocean along the course indicated by the Party Central Committee.

Comrade Kim Jong Un got off the warship and met with the navy commanding officers of the former generation who took part in the ceremony.

The commander of the Navy ordered the destroyer Kang Kon to leave the port.

All the warships of the Navy staying in the port raised the code flags of congratulation at once amid the gong of departure of the destroyer and the let-off of fireworks and balloons.

The participants extended their warmest and enthusiastic congratulations to the sailors of the destroyer, waving their hands.

Comrade Kim Jong Un sent a militant salute to the destroyer, hoping that it would demonstrate only the honor of invincibility.

On the same day, senior Party and government officials and other participants went round the venues of the exhibition of warship military hardware and the photo exhibition of the history of the Navy and realized with deep emotion the rapid development of our Navy being accelerated beyond precedent and limits thanks to the energetic around-the-clock leadership of Comrade Kim Jong Un.

The KPA Navy hosted a reception in commemoration of the commissioning of the destroyer.

The commissioning of the destroyer Kang Kon clearly proved the epoch-making progress and development of the building of the modern naval forces led by Comrade Kim Jong Un and gave redoubled strength and encouragement to the ranks of the all-people general advance working heart and soul for the successful implementation of the grand revolutionary programme set forth by the historic Ninth Congress of the WPK.

Only traces of victory and glory will always be recorded in the future of our Navy thanks to Comrade Kim Jong Un, the symbol of the mightiness of the great DPRK and the invincible and iron-willed commander. -0-