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2 weeks ago | 
38north.org | Iliana Ragnone |Martyn Williams
Satellite Imagery North Korea appears to be preparing to relaunch the Choe Hyun-class naval destroyer that failed to launch at Chongjin Port on May 21 and has since been moved to the Rajin Shipyard for repairs. Commercial satellite imagery from June 12 shows that while the ship remains in Rajin’s drydock, the caisson gates have been opened and a number of structures consistent with previous launch ceremonies have appeared nearby.
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3 weeks ago | 
38north.org | Martyn Williams |Iliana Ragnone
Economy, Satellite Imagery The first factories built under North Korea’s 20×10 plan for regional industry are spread across the country, but their production is not nearly so varied. In each of the 20 locations chosen for the new clusters in 2024, factories were built to produce similar products: food, clothing and household goods.
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3 weeks ago | 
38north.org | Martyn Williams |Peter Makowsky |Iliana Ragnone
North Korea’s capsized second Choe Hyun Class destroyer was finally launched on Thursday after it was returned to an upright position earlier this week. Commercial satellite imagery from June 5 shows the vessel floating in the harbor at Chongjin Port. The ship was launched Thursday afternoon. An image taken at 11:32 AM KST shows the ship upright with its bow still stationed on the quay. A subsequent image taken just after 3 PM KST shows the ship floating in the harbor.
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3 weeks ago | 
38north.org | Iliana Ragnone |Martyn Williams |Peter Makowsky |Jack J. Liu
Military Affairs, Satellite Imagery Kim Jong Un’s instructions to restore its capsized Choe Hyun Class destroyer before the end of June have been met with skepticism. Commercial satellite imagery shows workers at the port in Chongjin have taken a significant step towards that goal. Imagery from June 2 shows the warship in the upright position for the first time since the accident on May 21.
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1 month ago | 
38north.org | Martyn Williams |Iliana Ragnone
Satellite Imagery Commercial satellite imagery indicates final preparations appear to be underway at the Wonsan-Kalma Beach Resort ahead of an anticipated opening event that will likely be attended by Kim Jong Un. Construction has ceased ahead of the end of May deadline set by Kim in July last year and seating areas are being set up on the beach.
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1 month ago | 
38north.org | Martyn Williams |Iliana Ragnone
The regional industry push under the banner of the 20×10 regional development plan seeks to foster sustainable manufacturing by building new light industrial hubs in 20 cities and counties every year for ten years. The plan began in 2024 and that year, installed factories for food, clothing and daily goods in 20 communities across the country. While the project is nationally driven from Pyongyang, it appears the state has not gone for a one-size-fits-all approach.
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2 months ago | 
38north.org | Peter Makowsky |Jack J. Liu |Iliana Ragnone |Martyn Williams
Commercial satellite imagery of Nampho Port indicates North Korea’s newest warship has likely left the construction hall and is positioned inside a floating drydock berthed at the newly refurbished quay. It has been less than a year since the first observable signs of construction were seen at Nampho, the west coast command headquarters for North Korea’s navy and the country’s largest commercial port.
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Mar 26, 2025 | 
38north.org | Martyn Williams |Iliana Ragnone
Less than a month after North Korean state media conveyed Kim Jong Un’s ambitious 20×10 regional development plan, residents of Yonthan, North Hwanghae province—one of the first construction sites—were visited by then-Premier Kim Tok Hun to survey initial progress. Despite the importance of the plan, the premier’s visit received relatively muted coverage in state media—it was featured on the bottom of the front page Rodong Sinmun and ignored by state television.
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Mar 21, 2025 | 
38north.org | Peter Makowsky |Jack J. Liu |Iliana Ragnone |Martyn Williams
As springtime brings warmer weather and softer ground, work to expand the road and rail infrastructure throughout North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station continues. Recent commercial satellite imagery indicates that efforts to cut a new road, or possible rail bed, connecting the east tunnel entrance with the coastal launch pad and southern seaport are underway, which could allow for vehicles or launch materials to easily travel to and from the various parts of the complex.
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Mar 13, 2025 | 
38north.org | Martyn Williams |Iliana Ragnone
The first signs of work on the fifth and final stage of a project to build 50,000 new apartments in Pyongyang are now apparent. Commercial satellite imagery from March 13 shows that since a groundbreaking ceremony on February 16, building foundations have been excavated at the southern end of the Hwasong District as workers race to meet the year-end deadline. The footers for around 20 buildings are observed in the Hwawon 2-dong neighborhood in the Hwasong District.
