Satellite images show that North Korea could be building its biggest warship which is twice as big as any other vessel in its naval fleet. In yet another chilling demonstration of the increasing military might of the country led by dictator Kim Jong Un, the new warship will also be the most technologically advanced.
The news comes as an estimated 12,000 North Korean troops are believed to be fighting for Russia against Ukrainian incursions in the Kursk and Belgorod regions and Kim has so far not made any attempts to respond to the political pleasantries from the new US administration under Donald Trump.
Images of the new warship under construction at Nampo shipyard on North Korea’s west coast, not far from the capital Pyongyang, have been captured by satellite providers Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs on April 6. And experts say that the photos show the building of weapons and sophisticated technology on the ship.
It is also likely that it is a guided missile frigate which is designed to hold missiles in vertical launch tubes. “The FFG is approximately 140 meters (459 feet) long, making it the largest warship manufactured in North Korea,” an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jennifer Jun at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said, reported CNN.
Pictures of the warship also appeared in a report by state-run Korean Central Television released late last year. The images showed leader Kim inspecting the ship’s construction.
It is only around five feet shorter than the US Navy’s Arleigh-class destroyers but while North Korea’s strengthening military is concerning, it is not a surprise especially as 16% of national spending went in the area last year.
Kim has made the military his priority with armaments modernised and the testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles that are now capable of reaching almost anywhere in the United States. This has been done despite significant sanctions from the United Nations and experts believe that since the war in Ukraine, North Korea has been receiving support from Russia in its weapon development.
Last month North Korea unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that can pose a major security threat especially to South Korea but other Western countries also.
The state media agency on March 8 released photos showing what it called “a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” as it showed Kim’s visit to major shipyard. The Korean Central News Agency didn’t provide details on the submarine, but said that Kim was briefed on its construction.
The naval vessel appears to be a 6,000-ton-class or 7,000-ton-class one which can carry about 10 missiles, said Moon Keun-sik, a South Korean submarine expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University. He said that the use of the term “the strategic guided missiles” meant it would carry nuclear-capable weapons.
“It would be absolutely threatening to us and the US,” Mr Moon said. US National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said that “we’re aware of these claims and do not have additional information to provide at this time.
“The U.S. is committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” Mr Hughes said. A nuclear-powered submarine was among a long wish list of sophisticated weaponry that Kim vowed to introduce during a major political conference in 2021 to cope with what he called escalating U.S.-led military threats.
Other weapons were solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, spy satellites and multi-warhead missiles. North Korea has since performed a run of testing activities to acquire them.
North Korea obtaining a greater ability to fire missiles from underwater is a worrying development, because it’s difficult for its rivals to detect such launches in advance.
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