North Korean leader Kim stresses stronger naval nuclear deterrent

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the naval destroyer Kang Kon to oversee a navigation test on Saturday, stressing the need to enhance the navy's capability to deter a nuclear war.



The report came as Beijing and Pyongyang announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea from Jun 8 to 9, after Xi hosted back-to-back summits with United States President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin last month.



Kim has in recent years vowed to strengthen North Korea's naval capabilities, and in May last year oversaw the botched launch of the destroyer Kang Kon, which was later repaired and relaunched a month later.



During the trip on Thursday, Kim stressed the importance of rapidly developing the naval force into a force "capable of reliably taking charge of a part of the nuclear war deterrent".