North Korea is expanding its shipyards in two key port cities, satellite images analyzed by Radio Free Asia have revealed, an indication that experts say is part of a five-year plan announced earlier this year to modernize the country’s navy.
Although North Korea’s navy is one of the largest in the region, most of its fleet is made up of ships built during the Cold War. The new five-year plan includes orders from the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, to build two new destroyers per year, the Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, reported.
The upgraded shipyards in the coastal cities of Nampo and Chongjin appear to be an attempt by the navy to satisfy Kim’s quota, Bruce Songhak Chung, a senior researcher at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Security Strategy, told RFA:
“If North Korea continues its plan to build additional destroyers and deploy them in both the East and West Seas, these ships could pose a significant military threat,” Chung said, using the Korean terms for the waters to the east and west of the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea has already built – but has not yet commissioned – two new 5,000-ton destroyers, the Choe Hyon and the Kang Kon, named after historical military figures. Two more destroyers are said to be under construction in shipyards.
In March, after inspecting the Choe Hyon, Kim said it represented a “step change” in maritime defense, something Pyongyang has not achieved in “half a century,” KCNA reported.
New ships
In Chongjin, in the northeast of the country, images show that a new ship is under construction: a large blue building measuring 300 meters (980 feet) by 77 meters (250 feet) is clearly visible next to a gantry. Chung said it could be a destroyer that, when completed, would be the fourth in the North Korean fleet. The third is currently under construction in Nampo.
Chung also noted other evidence: Images show that in the south of the shipyard, large-scale excavation and foundation work has progressed rapidly in recent months, with up to 6 acres (2.4 hectares) of new land developed.
Temporary worker barracks near the construction site are also visible, as is a new railway line for transporting completed sections of the ship which will be transported outside to be assembled into a complete hull.
“This infrastructure expansion of the Chongjin Shipyard is considered preparatory work for the construction of the fourth destroyer, in accordance with Kim Jong Un’s orders,” Chung said.
Although the images clearly show that a ship is under construction at Chongjin, it is too early to say that it is a destroyer, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., a senior researcher in image analysis at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told RFA.
“We are seeing some developments in Chongjin. There are wide-ranging speculations: whether it will be a large commercial ship, whether it will be another destroyer or whether it will be a new, larger class destroyer. We don’t have enough information yet,” Bermudez said.
Twin Destroyers
On June 4, Kim Jong Un inspected the Kang Kon during a sailing test and ordered that the Kang Kon and Choe Hyon be put into service as soon as possible, KCNA reported.
Both ships are 5,000-ton guided-missile destroyers. The Kang Kon gained international attention when it failed to launch on May 21, 2025.
Kim also expressed his ambition to build larger 10,000-ton destroyers in an announcement made ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s June 8 visit.
According to Bermudez, the Nampo shipyard, on Korea’s west coast, about 50 kilometers from Pyongyang, began an expansion and modernization effort near the end of 2024, leading some analysts to speculate that North Korea plans to build 10,000-ton ships there.
The Choe Hyon, meanwhile, was visible in images from the Nampo shipyard.
On June 12, the approximately 144 meters (472 feet) long destroyer can be seen docked at the dock. To his left, Construction of what would be North Korea’s third destroyer appears to be actively underway inside a large covered building measuring 170 meters (560 feet) by 33 meters (110 feet) with a dark green roof. Floating cranes, a floating dock and work vessels have been deployed in the water in front of the building to assist in the assembly of the hull blocks, indicating that work is likely in full swing.
North Korea has set a political goal of completing the third destroyer by the anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party in October, but based on satellite images it is estimated to be only 30 to 40 percent complete. Chung said that means the project likely won’t be finished before the deadline.
Ambitious, but unrealistic
Chung said North Korea’s plan to acquire 10 new destroyers after five years is ambitious but highly unlikely.
“So you’re going to need a lot of well-trained staff,” Bermudez said. “You’ll need a lot of equipment, as well as weapons systems and electronics, and getting it all together at this quantity quickly will be a challenge.”
He added that weapons systems and electronics will depend heavily on what Russia and China decide to share with North Korea. North Korea’s latest destroyers are equipped with Russia’s Pantsir air defense system.
“It is likely – more than a 50% chance – that Russia will provide its technology and experience to North Korean shipbuilders,” he said. “How much they contribute in terms of equipment, we just can’t say at this point. They probably provide advice, at a minimum.”
Edited by Eugene Whong.