North Korea's Kim Jong Un Inspects East Coast Base Construction Site for Large Warships: "Complete on Schedule"

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the site of a naval base under construction on the east coast and called for its completion on schedule and the fortification of the base. The move appears to follow his inspection of the construction of a new large warship and encourage the expansion of a base to operate it. On the same day, he also inspected a new housing complex in Tongchon County built for residents whose homes are slated for demolition ahead of the naval base construction.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provided on-site guidance for a naval base construction project on the east coast on the 11th, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 12th. Yonhap News.

According to the Korean Central News Agency on November 12, Kim provided on-site guidance for a major naval base construction project on the east coast on November 11. Pak Jong Chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, and others accompanied him.

Kim stressed, "Since the construction of a modern naval base is a critical undertaking directly linked to our country's security and the defense of its maritime sovereignty, it must be completed without fail within the timeframe set by the Party Central Committee and at the level of quality it demands." He provided guidelines for the placement of facilities to modernize, diversify the functions of and fortify the base, and ordered an increase in the personnel overseeing the construction and the construction workforce. He did not disclose a specific completion deadline or the scale of the facilities.

He also outlined plans to build the base as a center for naval command, culture and combat capabilities. On November 2, Kim visited the Nampo Shipyard and inspected a new warship under construction, emphasizing the need to strengthen surface and underwater forces. North Korea is bolstering its naval capabilities by deploying the 5,000-ton-class destroyer Choe Hyon to the West Sea and the Kang Kon to the East Sea. The move is seen as an effort to establish command and support infrastructure alongside the acquisition of warships.

At the commissioning ceremony for the Kang Kon last September, Kim said North Korea was "in the process of carrying out important plans" to strengthen its naval capabilities and vowed, "We will prove it to the world once again in eight months." The base construction is also part of the effort to expand naval capabilities, but it has not been disclosed whether it is part of the plan he previewed at the time.

Im Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, said the project aims to build a comprehensive "naval city" that combines housing, culture and command, going beyond a naval port where ships simply dock. He added that a modern naval city is presumed to mean a complex support city integrating military base functions with naval command, logistics and maintenance infrastructure, as well as housing, cultural and educational facilities for service members and their families.

Meanwhile, Kim also toured more than 1,000 homes completed in the Tongchon County area of Kangwon Province on the same day. The news agency reported that homes for residents whose houses were slated for demolition were built before construction of the naval base began.

Regarding the two site visits, Professor Im said they suggest that the "Regional Development 20-by-10 Policy" and rural housing construction are not isolated livelihood projects, but are being carried out concurrently with and in connection to the construction of a strategic military base.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.