North Korea's Kim claims progress on nuclear-armed navy as new warship is placed into service

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has commissioned a 5,000-ton destroyer that leader Kim Jong Un touts as a symbol of the country’s growing naval and nuclear capabilities, state media reported Wednesday, as Pyongyang seeks to expand its ability to project military power at sea.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim told a commissioning ceremony Tuesday at the western port of Nampo that warships such as the Choe Hyon show that the nuclear armament of his navy is progressing as planned.

KCNA said the Choe Hyon was formally placed into service with North Korea’s navy after the ceremony and will be tasked with defending the country’s western coast.

Since unveiling the ship in April 2025, Kim has portrayed the Choe Hyon as a major step toward expanding his military’s operational reach and preemptive strike capabilities. KCNA has said the warship is equipped with a range of systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles.

South Korean officials and experts say the vessel was likely built with Russian assistance amid deepening military ties between the countries, but some analysts have questioned whether it’s ready for active service.

North Korea has put the Choe Hyon through a series of tests in recent months ahead of its deployment, including launches of what it described as nuclear-capable cruise missiles from the vessel.

“It has clearly become a thing of the past when our navy existed as a force for defending the sea off our land,” Kim said in a speech at Tuesday's ceremony. “It is rising into a full-fledged service equipped with strategic means as the program of equipping the Navy with nuclear weapons is following its planned course unerringly.”

After years of spurring ballistic missile development, Kim has shifted his focus more toward naval capabilities, including the ongoing construction of a nuclear-powered submarine. Naval capabilities were also a key focus when Kim outlined his five-year military goals at February’s Workers’ Party congress, which included calls for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of underwater launches.

Kim, following a missile test aboard the Choe Hyon in March, claimed that his efforts to arm his navy with nuclear weapons would “constitute a radical change in defending our maritime sovereignty, something that we have not achieved for half a century.” State media didn’t elaborate on what Kim meant, but some analysts say North Korea may be preparing to formally declare a maritime boundary that could encroach on waters controlled by rival South Korea.

As inter-Korean tensions worsen, Kim has repeatedly said he does not recognize the Northern Limit Line in the western sea, drawn by the U.S.-led U.N. Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. The poorly drawn sea boundary has been the site of several deadly skirmishes in past years.

North Korea unveiled in May 2025 a second destroyer in the same class as the Choe Hyon, but it was damaged during a botched launch at the northern port of Chongjin, prompting a furious response from Kim. The country later said the ship, named Kang Kon, was relaunched in June after repairs, but outside experts have questioned whether it’s fully operational.

Kim during Tuesday’s speech said Kang Kon will also be entering service soon. North Korea also has separate plans to build a larger, 10,000-ton destroyer.

Since his nuclear diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019, Kim has accelerated the expansion of his nuclear arsenal and deepened ties with Moscow and Beijing. While maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, he has left the door open to renewed talks with Washington, repeating Pyongyang’s demand that the United States drop denuclearization as a precondition for reviving negotiations.

Separately, South Korea’s military said Wednesday it had taken into custody an unidentified North Korean soldier who crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean border Tuesday night. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the soldier expressed an intent to defect and that relevant authorities were investigating the incident.

In this photo provided Wednesday, June 24, 2026, by the North Korean government, North Korean destroyer Choe Hyon is seen during its commissioning ceremony at a port in Nampo, North Korea, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In this photo provided Wednesday, June 24, 2026, by the North Korean government, the commissioning ceremony of North Korean destroyer Choe Hyon is held at a port in Nampo, North Korea, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In this photo provided Wednesday, June 24, 2026, by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, center, speaks during a commissioning ceremony of its destroyer Choe Hyon at the port in Nampo Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

In this photo provided Wednesday, June 24, 2026, by the North Korean government, North Korean destroyer Choe Hyon leaves the port following a commissioning ceremony in Nampo Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 9, 2026--

Uniting Wealth Partners is pleased to announce that Ben R. McLintock, J.D., LL.M., CFP ®, CFRE ®, has joined the firm to lead its advanced planning efforts, strengthening the firm's ability to help clients navigate complex wealth, estate, tax, business succession and legacy planning needs.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260909609199/en/

McLintock brings extensive experience across wealth management, law, tax and estate planning, charitable giving and business succession. Most recently, he served as senior vice president and senior wealth advisor with Arvest Wealth Management, advising affluent and high-net-worth clients on complex financial, investment, tax, estate and asset-protection needs.

“Ben brings exactly the kind of multidisciplinary thinking we want at the center of advanced planning at Uniting Wealth Partners,” said Jay Hummel, managing partner. “The most important financial decisions our clients face rarely fit neatly into one category. They often involve the intersection of investments, taxes, estate planning, family dynamics, business interests and charitable goals. Ben has spent his career working at those intersections, and his ability to assist in turning complexity into clear, actionable strategies will be a tremendous resource for our clients and advisors.”

McLintock has more than two decades of experience working with affluent and high-net-worth clients and in tax and charitable gift planning. He has spent 15 years developing multi-generational legacy and asset-protection strategies and 11 years providing comprehensive planning recommendations to closely held businesses.

“Joining Uniting Wealth Partners is a tremendous opportunity to bring together the disciplines that have shaped my career and apply them in a deeply client-centered environment,” said McLintock. “Advanced planning starts with understanding what matters most to a family or business owner, identifying the issues that could stand in the way of those goals. I'm excited to help expand the resources Uniting Wealth Partners can bring to our clients and their families.”

McLintock holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law and an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Alabama School of Law. He is an Arkansas-licensed attorney, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE ® ).

His community involvement has included service on the board of directors for the Arkansas Community Foundation and longstanding involvement with the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In November, he will receive the chapter's Ernie Lawrence Professional Advisor Award in recognition of his work helping clients pursue their charitable giving goals and promoting charitable giving in the community.

About Uniting Wealth Partners: Uniting Wealth Partners, (“UWP”) is a registered investment advisor (RIA) offering a differentiated model designed by and for advisors. Founded by industry professionals, UWP provides advisors with the support and resources needed to grow their practices, enhance enterprise value, and pursue succession planning on their terms. Learn more at unitingwealthpartners.com. UWP provides investment advisory and related services to clients nationwide and maintains all required registrations and licenses in the jurisdictions where it conducts business.

Ben McLintock, J.D., LL.M., CFP®, CFRE® to Lead Advanced Planning at Uniting Wealth Partners