Manufacturer catalog
Nampho Shipyard is a North Korean naval and commercial shipbuilding facility at the west-coast port city of Nampho. Open-source satellite analysis and defense reporting identify the yard as North Korea's primary ship construction and repair facility, with recent military significance centered on large surface-combatant construction for the Korean People's Navy.
1 weaponsThe yard's public record is unusually dependent on satellite imagery, state-media reporting relayed by regional news agencies, and specialist naval analysis. 38 North reported in November 2024 that Nampho was both North Korea's primary ship construction and repair facility and its largest commercial port, while also documenting new work on large repair-way structures, grid lattices for ship components, and a possible shipbuilding hall.
In 2025 and 2026, Nampho became the most visible site in North Korea's push to enlarge its surface fleet. CSIS imagery analysis showed a roughly 142-meter guided-missile frigate or destroyer fitting out at Nampo Navy Shipyard in April 2025, and USNI later identified the commissioned Choe Hyon as a 5,000-ton first-in-class destroyer built at Nampho Shipyard. Yonhap, citing KCNA, also reported Kim Jong Un's March 2025 field guidance at Nampho Dockyard and his order to modernize shipbuilding and expand naval construction capacity.
USNI reported that the first-in-class 5,000-ton Choe Hyon was built at Nampho Shipyard, launched on April 25, 2025, and commissioned in Nampho on June 23, 2026.
Sources: USNI News: North Korea Commissions First-in-class Destroyer Choe HyonDeagel lists Nampho Shipyard as the contractor for the Nampo, also known as Tuman, corvette class, while GlobalSecurity summarizes the class as a North Korean corvette or light frigate built for the Korean People's Navy.
Sources: Deagel: Nampo corvette, GlobalSecurity: FF Nampo / Tuman ClassDeagel lists the Nampo corvette class with an initial operational capability in 2013, total production of two vessels, and Nampho Shipyard as contractor.
Sources: Deagel: Nampo corvette
38 North reported commercial satellite imagery showing construction tied to a larger upgrade of Nampho's shipbuilding facilities, including a large covered structure on a repair way and adjacent component-staging gridwork.
Sources: 38 North: Construction Expands at Nampho Port
Yonhap, citing KCNA, reported that Kim Jong Un inspected production lines at Nampho Dockyard and called for shipbuilding modernization and greater naval construction capacity.
Sources: Yonhap: N.K. leader calls for bolstering shipbuilding capacity during visit to Nampho shipyard
CSIS reported that satellite imagery showed a roughly 142-meter guided-missile frigate at Nampo Navy Shipyard with netting mostly removed and fitting-out work continuing.
Sources: CSIS: Nampo Guided Missile Frigate Unwrapped
USNI reported that North Korea commissioned the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon in Nampho and identified the ship as having been built at Nampho Shipyard.
Sources: USNI News: North Korea Commissions First-in-class Destroyer Choe Hyon
Nampho Shipyard has no verified standalone public company website in the reviewed English-language sources. Public sourcing relies on satellite-imagery analysis, naval reporting, regional news coverage of KCNA statements, and defense-reference databases rather than direct corporate disclosure. Headquarters mapping and facility imagery are omitted because the checked sources did not provide reusable imagery or independently verified coordinates.
Category
Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.