Overall, Nampo is drying crops as in previous years, with this year’s harvest appearing better than last year’s, while Nampo Port is focusing on coal exports to China.

At the Nampo Shipyard, work has been detected installing engines on the first new destroyer while it is on a floating dock. Normally, when constructing a hull with block units, major components such as engines are included during the process, but in this case, it appears that North Korea is, for the first time, installing the engines after the hull has been completed—adopting a method used in Russia. As far as is known, this is the first time in North Korea that engines have been installed after the construction of a large vessel. Since the engine propulsion system is interconnected with various elements such as the combat system, generators, cooling equipment, noise, and vibration control system, this method is expected to generate additional maintenance requirements in the future. The work of lifting the engines with a large crane, placing them back into the ship, and connecting them to other systems requires specialized equipment and skilled personnel, making the direct involvement of Russian technicians likely. In line with Kim Jong Un’s instructions, the results of this process are expected to be verified during sea trials next month.