Quick Take: New Construction at Chongjin Port

New construction is underway at Chongjin Port that looks to refresh a large part of the shipyard. Chongjin has traditionally been associated with fishing, but site improvements and a recent visit by Kim Jong Un to inspect a new warship, indicate the port could be taking on a more important role in military warship production.

Construction

Kim visited Chongjin shipyard in early March as part of his tour of “major shipyards to give field guidance to warship building.” The shipyards were not mentioned by name, but Chongjin was discernable from the photographs published. He also visited Nampho Port.

At Chongjin, the new warship inspected by Kim is located southwest of a series of construction halls, each measuring 275 meters long. Much of the ship is obstructed from satellite view by a protective shield, but the latest image reveals it is approximately 143 meters long. This is consistent with North Korea’s new naval destroyer, which was launched at Nampho Port on April 25.

Additionally, commercial satellite imagery shows several small huts, similar to those used by North Korea’s construction brigades, appeared in late March. Since then, a large area at the front of the harbor has been cleared and concrete or aggregate has been laid across it. Three apparent platforms have also been constructed on the shipway.

Work is also taking place to shore up the quay area and prevent flooding. This particular plot of land has never been used for any substantial development, and the continued presence of the huts indicates there is more to the project.