North Korea builds 4,000-ton warship, equipped with ship-to-land missiles for the first time?

The South Korean military expressed concern after it said North Korea appeared to be building a large warship with a ship-to-land missile system.

Image of what is believed to be North Korea's new warship

KCTV SCREENSHOT

Yonhap news agency on December 31 quoted information from the South Korean military that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has started building a 4,000-ton warship equipped with a vertical launch system, in the context that Pyongyang seeks to develop nuclear weapons and missiles.

The assessment came a day after North Korean media reported on a plenary session of the Workers' Party of Korea, including images of leader Kim Jong-un visiting a shipyard where new warships are being built.

"North Korea is building a 4,000-ton warship in Nampho. Based on the size of the ship, it is capable of carrying (ship-to-surface) missiles," a South Korean military official said. Nampho is a western port city of North Korea.

However, the official noted that it could take several years for North Korea to complete construction and more than 10 years to deploy the ship for operations. North Korea's largest warship today is a 1,500-ton vessel armed with ship-to-ship missiles and without a vertical launch system.

Meanwhile, a South Korean People's Power Party lawmaker said North Korea is building larger ships than the military has assessed.

Lawmaker Yu Yong-weon said the warship appeared to be a 5,000-ton vessel and more like a Chinese ship than a Russian one, noting that North Korea first revealed images of the ship's bottom during Kim's inspection in September.

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During his inspection of the shipyard, Mr. Kim said that strengthening the naval force was "the most important issue to resolutely protect the motherland's maritime sovereignty and enhance war preparedness at the present time."

Lawmaker Yu said the North Korean warship was not equipped with combat systems, but expressed concern that it could pose a new threat due to its ability to launch ship-to-land missiles.

North Korea has not commented on South Korea's comments.

In another development, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on December 31 that leader Kim Jong-un inspected a new tourist area on the east coast, emphasizing that the project is the first major step to promote tourism.

Mr. Kim and his daughter visited the Kalma beach resort in Wonsan on December 29.

Mr. Kim toured newly completed hotels and other service facilities at the coastal tourist resort of Kalma on December 29. Photos also showed his daughter Ju-ae accompanying the leader.

The resort is expected to open in June 2025. The project has been in development since 2014 as part of a tourism development plan at Myongsasimni Beach on the Kalma Peninsula.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/trieu-tien-dong-tau-chien-4000-tan-lan-dau-trang-bi-ten-lua-ham-doi-dat-185241231150359011.htm