Perdana! North Korea Builds A New 4,000 Ton Warship With A Vertical Launching System
JAKARTA - The South Korean military (South Korea) assesses North Korea (North Korea) appears to have started the construction of a 4,000-ton frigate equipped with vertical launchers.
North Korea is known to be trying later to develop its nuclear weapons and missiles.
The assessment came a day after North Korean state media released photos of its leader Kim Jong-un visiting the shipyard where the new warship was being built, reporting year-end party plenary meetings.
"North Korea is building a 4,000-ton frigate in Nampho," a military official said, referring to North Korea's western port city, reported by The Korea Times Jan. 2.
"From the size of the ship, the ship is considered capable of carrying missiles (ships to land)," he continued.
However, the official noted North Korea may have taken up to several years to complete the construction of the ship and more than 10 years to deploy the ship for operation.
So far, North Korea's largest warship is a 1,500-ton frigate equipped with an intership missile.
North Korea's largest ship to date is a 1,500-ton frigate equipped with an intership missile. The ship is not equipped with a vertical launch system.
Meanwhile, a South Korean ruling party lawmaker considered the ship bigger than a military analysis.
MP from the People's Power Party (PPP) Yu Yong-weon said the warship appeared to be a 5,000-ton frigate that resembled a Chinese ship, not a Russian frigate.
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He noted that North Korea first revealed the bottom of the ship in a photo of an inspection on site by leader Kim in September.
During a visit to the shipyard, Leader Kim was quoted as saying that strengthening naval power was "the most important thing in defending the country's maritime sovereignty firmly and enhancing the current war readiness."
Yu said the frigate was not equipped with a combat system, but raised fears the ship might emerge as a new threat due to its intership missile launch capability.