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North Korea Military Capability and Coastal Defense
The navy's main strengths are a modest number of cruisemissile -equipped vessels, large numbers of fast patrol craft, a
mine warfare potential, and a large number of small, fast
transports for special operations forces. Its weaknesses include
inadequate air defense, a low level of technology, and aging
platforms. Logistical support is complicated by the variety of
Soviet and Chinese designs of its equipment and the inability of
the force to conduct sustained operations. In the early 1990s,
overall fleet strength was probably on the decline inasmuch as
obsolete vessels were not being replaced on a one-for-one basis.
The quality of the navy remains unknown. Joint exercises are
not common. Although the navy conducted a few rudimentary
exercises with Soviet naval forces in the late 1980s and is
believed to have conducted a number of exercises related to
command, control, and communications, there is little by which to
judge the force's overall performance.
Despite its size, the submarine force also is an unknown
quantity. It is difficult to ascertain whether the submarine
force is intended primarily for coastal barrier defense or for
offensive operations. Some submarines are assigned defensive
patrols. The submarines dedicated to offensive operations
probably are targeted along South Korea's coastlines near its
harbors, in the Yellow Sea, and in the Sea of Japan to interdict
sea lines of communication. Offensive mining is another possible
mission for some of the minisubmarines.
The surface force is suited for inshore defense and
harassment. The smaller craft, although dated, are capable of
using Korea's rough coastal topography to mount harassing attacks
against larger naval craft. Operations are limited to within
fifty nautical miles of the coast.
Many North Korean navy bases have hardened berths and other
passive defenses. There is an extensive antiship missile and gun
defense network along the coastline. Antiship cruise missile
sites were installed in the late 1960s using Soviet-supplied SSC2b (Samlet) SSMs. Newer and longer-range SSMs entered the
inventory in the mid-1980s, most probably the HY-2 (Silkworm), a
modification of the Styx system. In all, some six sites are
reported, covering both coasts with overlapping antiship cruise
missile systems.
Data as of June 1993
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