North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered officials to accelerate construction of a large new naval base on the country's east coast, demanding the facility be completed rapidly and without compromise. The demand came during a visit to the coastal building site on Wednesday, accompanied by senior military figures including Workers' Party Central Military Commission vice chairman Pak Jong-chon.
Kim's demands for the naval base
According to local reports, Kim insisted the coastal fortress be finished quickly and to a high standard. The Pyongyang Times quoted him directly as saying: "The construction of the modern naval base is a crucial core undertaking directly related to the security of our state and the defence of its maritime sovereignty from A to Z. It should be completed without fail at the qualitative level."
The state media also reported that Kim set out strict requirements for "thoroughly modernizing, multi-functionalizing and fortifying the base," ordered a "powerful reinforcement of the commanding force," and called for extra workers to be drafted in to speed up the build.
Housing and location speculation
While the exact coordinates of the base were not disclosed, Kim also inspected more than 1,000 newly built homes in Tongchon County, Kangwon Province, intended for locals displaced by the military project. Analysts believe the base is being constructed at Jangjon Port, a former southern naval hub close to the South Korean border.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency noted that the accelerated push follows a series of naval escalations by the regime.
Recent military developments
Days before the site visit, Pyongyang test-fired a new high-speed torpedo weapon system expected to enter service in early 2027. Kim has also spoken of commissioning 5,000-tonne destroyers, developing 10,000-tonne warships, and equipping his expanding fleet with nuclear weapons.
He has previously said he is building a nuclear-capable vessel with no equal anywhere on Earth, as tensions with Washington and Seoul continue to rise.
