North Korea's Kim Jong-un Provides On-site Guidance at Nampo Shipyard... Suspected Construction of Nuclear Submarine

Kim Jong Un "Strengthening Naval Forces, a Crucial Issue"
Possibility of Nuclear Submarine Work Progressing in Nampo

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un visited the Nampo Shipyard to inspect the status of warship construction, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 2nd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, conducted an on-site inspection of the Nampo Shipyard, where naval vessels are being constructed. The Rodong Sinmun, which reported this news on the 2nd, quoted Chairman Kim emphasizing that "strengthening naval forces has become the most crucial issue in firmly defending the country's maritime sovereignty today and accelerating war preparations." The Nampo Shipyard is a location where preparations for submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launches were previously detected.

Chairman Kim's visit to the Nampo Shipyard and his mention of 'strengthening naval forces' appear to be linked to recent moves to enhance military capabilities. The Nampo Shipyard, located in Nampo City, South Pyongan Province, is the largest shipyard on the West Sea of North Korea. It has previously been identified as a site where SLBM launch preparations were observed. The U.S.-based North Korea specialist media 38 North also analyzed in December last year that North Korea was constructing a 'concealment space' here and preparing to repair barges used for missile launches to evade U.S. satellite surveillance.

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un visited the Nampo Shipyard to inspect the status of warship construction, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, some speculate that North Korea may be advancing nuclear submarine-related work not only in Sinpo on the East Sea but also in Nampo. The newspaper reported that Chairman Kim "received detailed reports on the construction status of various vessels decided at the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party and the preparation status of new large-scale planned projects." This is significant because at the 8th Party Congress in January 2021, the ship-related agenda included "possession of nuclear submarines and underwater-launched nuclear strategic weapons." In the past, the Japanese media Setkanippo also analyzed that "North Korea is secretly building nuclear submarines at docks near Nampo."

Recently, North Korea has been actively developing maritime weapons, conducting test launches of submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs) capable of precision strikes following SLBMs. Choi Il, director of the Submarine Research Institute, predicted, "North Korea will continue to conduct test launches of small underwater-launched SLBMs and SLCMs in the future."