U.S.-based North Korea watchdog 38 North reports that Pyongyang is undertaking extensive renovations at the Chongjin Port shipyard in South Hamgyong Province, likely to bolster its naval shipbuilding capabilities.
Images captured on Tuesday show heavy construction activity at the site, including a cleared and resurfaced area near the dock, now paved with concrete and gravel. The presence of temporary military barracks, spotted as early as March, indicates the involvement of North Korean military construction crews and suggests that the project is still underway.
38 North also identified the shipyard as the site of Kim Jong Un’s March inspection of a crucial shipbuilding project. The North Korean leader visited the facility, which is 275 meters (approximately 902.2 feet) in length and located at the southwestern end of several construction buildings.
While protective coverings obscured the vessel, Kim inspected it from a satellite view. Its length was estimated at approximately 143 meters (approximately 469.2 feet). This dimension aligns with North Korea’s new destroyer, Choe Hyon, launched at Nampo Port on April 25.
Images released by the state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun partially revealed the Chongjin shipyard. 38 North asserted that Kim’s inspection tour signals Chongjin Port’s growing strategic importance in North Korea’s naval production efforts.
In a separate report, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) confirmed the construction of a destroyer at Chongjin Port. This destroyer, which bears similarities to the Choe Hyon, includes a Vertical Launch System (VLS).