Warship launch underscores North Korea's spending priorities as millions face hunger

Tony Wesolowsky | 2025-05-07

While nearly half of North Korea's population suffers from chronic hunger and collapsing public services, leader Kim Jong Un continues to prioritize massive military investments, such as the unveiling of the country's first-ever destroyer, over feeding his people.

On April 25, North Korea unveiled a new 5,000-ton destroyer at a launch ceremony in the western port of Nampo, with Kim hailing the warship as a "breakthrough" in modernizing the country's naval forces.

The display of military spending comes as international observers point to devastating poverty inside North Korea.

About 46% of North Koreans, or 11.8 million people, are undernourished, according to a February report by Elizabeth Salmon, the United Nations (UN)'s special rapporteur for North Korea. She recently urged Pyongyang to reallocate military spending to address its humanitarian crisis.

"Available resources for development and the realization of economic, social and cultural rights can be affected significantly by the state's policies" of "extreme militarization," Salmon said in the February 5 report.

Ignoring human rights

"Extreme militarization reduces the resources available to achieve economic, social and cultural rights," she added. "The ongoing situation of economic and social rights and development goals indicates that the government is not adequately investing in the enjoyment of human rights of its people."

Salmon noted that North Korea struggles with medicine shortages, underfunded schools and a healthcare system where patients often pay out of pocket despite promises of free treatment.

Despite these hardships, Kim used the launch ceremony to declare ambitions for even more advanced military assets, including a nuclear-powered submarine. He justified the buildup by citing what he called escalating US-led hostilities.

Even three months before the destroyer was unveiled, its potential significance was noted.

The new destroyer is likely "the largest North Korea has constructed by some margin," Joseph Dempsey, a research associate at The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), wrote in a blog post published on January 14.

Despite the massive scale of its military, North Korea's surface fleet has long been limited to small, outdated patrol boats.

The ship's radar, engine and anti-air systems appear to be of Russian origin, Lee Illwoo, a South Korean analyst, told the Associated Press. Photos indicate it features dozens of missile launch cells.

This occasion marks the debut of North Korea's first destroyer, and its development highlights Pyongyang's deepening military ties with Russia. Both nations confirmed on April 28 that North Korean troops are supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine. North Korea has supplied conventional weapons to Moscow, observers say.

The country is among the most heavily militarized in the world, with 1.3 million active-duty soldiers, roughly 600,000 reservists and an additional 5.7 million members of the Worker/Peasant Red Guard, Reuters reported, citing data from the IISS. All North Korean men must serve in the military for at least three years.

During his remarks at the shipyard, Kim said the destroyer would be deployed early next year and emphasized the importance of building military strength.

Meanwhile, Salmon's report to the UN Human Rights Council criticized the regime for failing to meet basic development goals in health, education and sanitation, noting that social mobility and access to higher education remain largely determined by political class.