North Korea’s Kim Jong Un was seen smiling as he vowed to secure ‘absolute power’ after testing a new 5,000-tonne destroyer off the coast of North Korea.
The dictator was pictured donning a wide-brimmed yellow sun hat with a big smile on his face as he stood surrounded by his team on Friday.
It came amid a series of weapons tests including cruise missile launches and ‘electronic warfare means’, state media reported today.
A series of weapons tests were conducted aboard the Kang Kon, a brand new naval vessel that notably slipped off its cradle at a botched launch ceremony last year.
Kim described the incident as an ‘unforgivable criminal act’ after its bottom was left crushed, but the warship was later repaired.
Determined to save face, the dictator boarded the vessel last month as it underwent capability tests.
Explosions were seen during the tests – which were carried out less than two weeks after another 5,000-tonne destroyer, the Choe Hyon entered military service.
During that commissioning ceremony, Kim vowed to equip his navy with nuclear weapons and develop new 10,000-tonne warships.
After the weapons test on Friday, he ‘gave an instruction to complete the trial process of the destroyer in a responsible manner and commission it for the Navy within two months,’ the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
A photo released by KCNA shows Kim, wearing a yellow hat, watching a weapons test from a coastal observation point, flanked by officials.
He was joined by his increasingly prominent teenage daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju-ae, who may be being groomed as his successor, South Korean officials claim.
