Construction of a large naval base on North Korea’s eastern coast appears to be undergoing slow but steady progress this summer, roughly six years after building first started in 2014, according to an NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery.

The base is located north of Munchon and Wonsan, on the country’s southeast coast, and is situated among a number of other naval sites. While construction does not appear to be close to finishing this year, recent activity to improve a rail link to the site may mean the project is close to reaching its final stages.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the site in 2013 before construction kicked off, with state media saying it belonged to the Korean People’s Army (KPA) Navy Unit 291 (해군 제291군부대). 

Previous reporting suggested that it will likely serve as the east-coast headquarters for the KPA’s amphibious assault command and its hovercrafts, which are currently scattered in pockets around the area.

After a new rail bridge connecting Munchon to the isolated spot of the new port was finished in May 2018, work on the port’s dozen-plus docks and slipways continued through the end of that December, according to daily medium-resolution satellite imagery provided by Planet Labs.

The site’s small train station was then expanded slowly between April 2019 and Nov. 2019, along with some work on the station’s platform.

In the most recent developments, Planet imagery shows that construction of this platform, which is adjacent to the port, appears to have finished since June 2020.

In addition, there has been activity on the incomplete port area, though the quality of the imagery makes it difficult to determine if the new objects are buildings or rather large piles of construction material similar to others seen on site in past high-resolution imagery.

Timelapse of progress at Navy Unit 291’s new base since May 2019 | Images: Planet Labs

In the Rodong Sinmun’s report of the DPRK leader’s visit to Navy Unit 291 in May 2013, Kim Jong Un scolded officials for failing to properly store hovercraft, and also said facilities were inadequate for the unit’s war readiness.

He also reportedly said workers “must complete the work they started on time … on the expansion project.”

Kim appeared to place even more importance on the new base in 2015, when a large project began to build a one-kilometer-long (0.6-mile) oversea bridge and a 260-meter (300-yard) tunnel connecting the new port by rail to hubs in Munchon and Wonsan. 

At the time of the bridge project’s completion in May 2018, state media merely characterized it as something that contributes to the region’s fishing industry. However, satellite imagery revealed that its primary purpose was likely related to the new naval port. Another naval facility on the other side of the bridge, the Oct. 3 Factory under KPA Navy Unit 597, was also completely rebuilt between Feb. 2015 and March 2016 inspections by Kim Jong Un, though it does not house a dedicated rail terminal.

Despite the slow but steady progress on the new port project, the expected large-scale work on a new building complex — which may include housing and specialized facilities for the unit’s hovercrafts — have yet to appear.

But finally finishing the train station and platform may provide an impetus for this kind of work to accelerate, making it easier to bring in construction materials. 

The next stage will likely involve finishing the surface of the port yard, building up storage and repair facilities there for dozens of hovercrafts, and building new, modern barracks for the elite Navy unit.

Edited by Kelly Kasulis