The photo shows a submarine released by North Korea’s Chosun JoongAng TV in July 2019 while reporting that Kim Jong-un had inspected a newly built submarine. yunhap news
An analysis found that North Korea is preparing to launch a new submarine at the Sinpo Naval Base in South Hamgyeong Province.
According to 38 North, a website specializing in North Korea, on the 24th, an analysis of commercial satellite photos taken around the Sinpo South Shipyard revealed that the floating dry dock, which had been moored at the nearby pier, was moved to the side of the submarine launch facility at the manufacturing window. Confirmed.
‘Dry Dog’ is a structure made to be used when repairing and building ships. Ships built on land are moved to dry docks using rails and then floated in the sea by filling the dock with seawater.
38 North explained, “The change in the location of Drydog suggests that the new ballistic missile submarines that North Korea has built over the years have reached the completion stage or are ready to launch and depart sooner or later.”
According to North Korean state media, Kim Jong-un, the general secretary of the Korean Workers’ Party, visited the Sinpo shipyard on July 23, 2019, and inspected the “newly built submarine”.
At that time, the submarine inspected by General Secretary Kim was presumed to be a “Romeo”-class upgraded version of a missile launcher.
Although the’Romeo’ class submarine itself was an old submarine developed in the former Soviet Union in the 1950s, it is a common judgment among experts that North Korea has undergone some modifications to the submarine’s design to be used for submarine launch ballistic missiles (SLBMs).
38 North explained, “The parts yard near the manufacturing window has been vacant since last summer,” and “this suggests that the main work of submarine construction has been completed.” The missile was also expected to be mounted on an improved’Romeo’ or other new submarines, saying, “It is large enough to be loaded on an existing whale-class (Shinpo-class) submarine.”
The manufacturing windows and piers of the Sinpo Shipyard were completed in September 2016, but the launching ceremony of a submarine has never been held here.
Because of this, 38 North said, “It may be that the location of the floating dry dock was simply moved to maintain the rail between the manufacturing window and the dry dock.”
Reporter Bae Jae-seong [email protected]
