Pyongyang, North Korea - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday vowed to build his country's navy into a nuclear-armed force, state media reported as US allies' maritime drills kicked off.

Kim's comments came at the commissioning of the Kang Kon – a warship that partially capsized when launched in May 2025 – in the port city of Wonsan on Sunday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

"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," Kim reportedly told the ceremony.

"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 said.

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Photos released of Kim showed him accompanied by his daughter, Ju Ae, who is reportedly designated to succeed him.

Kim oversaw in July a test of the Kang Kon – one of two 5000-tonne class warships launched last year – just over a year after it was damaged during its launch.

Kim's reference to a "nuclear-armed navy" suggests the vessels could serve as launch platforms for tactical nuclear-capable cruise missiles, said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University.

Kim also said North Korea was carrying out an "important plan" to strengthen its navy that would be demonstrated to the world "in eight months."

That could foreshadow the unveiling of a major strategic asset, such as a new submarine capable of carrying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), Lim said.

This week's US allies' drills, dubbed Freedom Edge, are set to run to Friday in international waters east and south of South Korea's Jeju Island.

The maneuvers have pushed ahead despite President Donald Trump curtailing of another set of drills with South Korea last month as the US leader aims to reopen diplomacy with Pyongyang.