North Korea reportedly plans to build an additional five-thousand-ton destroyer by October next year. 

The North’s state Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said Tuesday that workers at a dockyard in the west coast city of Nampo held a rally the previous day, vowing to build another destroyer by October 10, 2026.

October 10 marks the anniversary of the founding of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party. 

The manager of the Nampo dockyard reportedly urged workers to complete the construction of the new warship by the deadline to uphold the party’s plan to build a powerful military.

North Korea has been stepping up efforts to bolster its naval power, having revealed its first five-thousand-ton destroyer, the Choe Hyon, on April 26.

In June, North Korea launched another destroyer of the same class, the Kang Kon, which was repaired after sustaining damage during an initial launch attempt in May.