[2024 National Audit] Low Missile Accuracy Targeting North Korean Warships

Analysis of National Defense Committee Member Kang Dae-sik's Audit Materials

The hit rate of anti-ship missiles targeting North Korean vessels has been confirmed to be low.

The Lynx helicopter carries two helicopter pilots and one operator responsible for the sonar.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to Kang Dae-sik, a member of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, the anti-submarine helicopter Wildcat, known as a submarine killer, fired five Spike ER (NLOS) missiles from 2017 to this year. The Spike missile targets vessels such as North Korea's air-cushioned landing crafts. However, one missile was not launched, and one missed the target. The hit rate was only 60%.

As North Korea strengthens its naval power, there are calls to improve the hit rate of anti-ship missiles. According to data Kang received from the Defense Intelligence Agency, some indications suggest that North Korea has recently begun constructing a nuclear-powered submarine. The military reported, "It remains to be seen whether nuclear technology can ultimately be applied, but the initial construction phase of a vessel believed to be a nuclear-powered submarine has been detected."

Recently, large-scale construction was confirmed at Nampo Port, a major North Korean trading port, indicating movements to enhance naval power. The North Korea-focused media 38 North revealed through civilian satellite image analysis that large-scale structural construction is underway at Nampo Port, with curtains and panels installed on the roofs and walls of the structures to conceal them and block external views. Considering the 20 pillars erected at the construction site, the estimated area of the structure under construction is 30×170 meters, large enough to accommodate a cruiser-class (over 10,000 tons) ship. This is almost the same scale as the shipbuilding facilities at Sinpo South Shipyard, where recent indications of new submarine construction have been detected.

On the 8th of last month, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, inspected a naval base site, shipbuilding facilities, and defense industry enterprises under the Second Economic Committee. The agency did not disclose the names or locations of the military facilities or the exact date of Kim's visit. At that time, he said, "We will soon possess large surface and underwater vessels that cannot be accommodated by the existing mooring facilities," and added, "The construction of a naval base to operate the latest large vessels is an urgent task."