Modernization of the Navy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Modern Stage

Abstract

The Navy is an important factor in defense and foreign policy. The presence of naval forces contributes to solving foreign policy, economic and military tasks, even without their direct application. For countries possessing nuclear weapons, the maritime component of nuclear forces allows them to solve the tasks of deterrence in the sea and ocean zone, thereby enhancing the protection of their military and international interests at the global level.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a state in Northeast Asia that possesses nuclear weapons. The DPRK is in a prolonged confrontation with the United States and is formally at war with the Republic of Korea as a result of the events of 1950-1953. The standoff on the Korean Peninsula does not contribute to stability in the Northeast Asian region, where there are numerous problems between China and the United States, including the Taiwan issue and the standoff between Beijing and Tokyo.

The DPRK Navy was assessed by Western experts as being quite large in terms of its composition, but equipped with small ships and boats capable of performing limited tasks near the coast. The same assessments were made regarding the submarine fleet – significant in number, but the vast majority of ships had small submarines for operations in the coastal zone.

Their combat capabilities are also limited. However, the situation has begun to change in the last few years. The country’s Navy began to introduce new ships built at DPRK shipbuilding enterprises. All new ships are carriers of missiles with nuclear warheads, making them suitable for strategic missions. And this applies not only to the largest ships – destroyers, but also to corvette-class vessels. A missile submarine, despite the fact that it is a modernization of an already built ship, is a factor that will have to be taken into account. The construction of a nuclear submarine with ballistic nuclear missiles takes the DPRK Navy to a new level of development. Although Western experts say about the new ships that they are noticeably inferior to the ships of the Republic of Korea and have numerous shortcomings.

However, these ships were built at DPRK shipyards, and the experience of construction and operation will provide information that will be used to build new and more advanced ships. This was stated by the country’s leader Kim Jong-un. Thus, the DPRK is consistently implementing a program to modernize its naval forces. The new ships will become a force to be reckoned with by both regional and non-regional players in Northeast Asia.