Several Naval Construction Projects Underway
Construction has resumed in earnest on what is expected to become a flagship naval base,Tapchon, in Wonsan Bay for North Korea’s latest ships and submarines. Kim Jong Un visited the site on the country’s east coast two years ago and declared the new base a “pressing task,” but progress has been slow until this summer.
Commercial satellite imagery shows that new construction worker huts have appeared in multiple areas over the last few months, and grading work has begun on new roads throughout the site. Work has also begun to repair and expand existing piers.
The work is being completed alongside expansion of other naval bases throughout the country, reflecting state-led interest in bolstering the country’s naval facilities and capabilities. Additional activity has been observed at Nampho Naval Shipyard and naval base on the country’s west coast, and new construction is starting to transform nearby Sok Island where North Korea has underwater ports.
Tapchon
Tapchon sits close to the existing Munchon Naval Base in the north end of Wonsan Bay, which is geographically advantageous and provides a natural defense from the sea to the west of North Korea.
The site housed several hovercraft bases until 2013; however, in 2014, work began to change the waterfront. In 2018, Kim Jong Un directed the area to be built into a large fishing port. As such, a railway link was added and new piers were constructed, including marine railways for pulling fishing boats out of the water for maintenance.
However, that plan did not last long. Already in 2020, some of the marine railways were dismantled. Four years later Kim Jong Un returned with plans to build a new naval base on this site instead, apparently with some urgency.
State media reported him explaining: “Now that we are soon to possess large surface warships and submarines which cannot be anchored by the existing facilities for mooring warships, the construction of a naval base for running the latest large warships has become a pressing task.”
It further explained, And he said that it is an urgent task in the era to build a modern port city as a symbol of the naval force of the DPRK and a center of the naval operational command and culture of the Navy.”
Since then, the area has appeared hardly touched and work only now appears to be getting underway.
The delay suggests that the state’s considerable construction initiatives might be stretched or delayed by multiple high-profile projects taking place across the country. At present, other projects such as the 20×10 regional development plan, which adds factories, hospitals, and lifestyle facilities to 20 counties each year, and efforts to build g a new neighborhood to Pyongyang, along with smaller projects, may be straining the country’s attention and resources.
Delays in apparently high-profile projects have been relatively common in the past. The Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort and Pyongyang General Hospital both sat half-finished for several years with delayed opening ceremonies; a large upgrade of the Sohae Satellite Launch Center appears to be similarly stalled.
Construction Resumes
The first signs that work might be restarting came in July when huts characteristic of housing for construction workers began appearing at the site. Since then, the ground has been cleared and leveled, and grading work has started on new roads across the site.
Repairs on some of the piers at the site also commenced, and at least one new pier or launch way appears to be under construction. The existing piers were built years ago when Tapchon was meant to be a new fishing village.
A large unfinished building that sat near the ends of the northernmost piers and was also a part of the fishing port project has been removed.
Road grading across the site suggests the area’s footprint will be considerably larger than the current cleared area. The routes of several new roads run up to pockets of housing and stop, continuing on the other side. This suggests the housing are likely to be demolished to make way for the road.
Munchon Naval Base Stalled
In April 2024, about six months before Kim Jong Un visited Tapchon, significant construction work began on the nearby Munchon Naval Base.
However, since our last report, construction has stalled completely. A number of new buildings remain incomplete, and while there appear to be some construction machinery on site, no significant work is being done.
Nampho Expansion
On the opposite coast, work is underway to expand the Nampho Naval Shipyard, where the navy has already constructed and launched one of its “new-type multi-mission destroyers” of the Choe Hyon class.
Specifically, a large new hall is under construction. It appears similar to manufacturing halls seen at many North Korean industrial facilities but is unlikely to be used for ship construction because it lacks direct egress to the water.
To the east, a large area is being cleared alongside two existing ship construction halls, possibly for additional construction facilities. The quay is being built out, and several small buildings have been demolished in the area. The purpose of this activity is unclear.
Sok Island
About 30 kilometers southwest of Nampho, just off North Korea’s west coast, lies Sok Island, home to several underground ports. Since this summer, a sizable construction project appears to be underway although its nature is unclear.
Several of the small roads on the island have been widened to accommodate truck traffic, and new buildings have appeared at two of the few unforested parts of the island.
Many of the buildings appear consistent with military or construction worker housing.
No work appears to be taking place at the underground port access points.
There are a small number of trucks visible on the island, apparently hauling or dumping dirt or sand, but much of the work appears to the concentrated in dredging work just off the south coast of the island.
The dredging appears to be related to seawall construction. The wall is low at present and reveals itself during low tide.
