In a move to modernize its maritime infrastructure, North Korea has unveiled a plan to transform Songrim Port into a dual-purpose facility, separating military and civilian operations. This sweeping overhaul, ordered by top government agencies on July 6, aims to catapult the North Hwanghae Province port into a cutting-edge hub for industrial logistics.
“On July 6, the Munitions Industry Department of the Workers’ Party’s Central Committee, the Ministry of Land and Maritime Transport and the Ministry of Defense issued a joint order for the complete modernization of Songrim Port,” a source in North Korea recently told Daily NK, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The agency also ordered the port authorities and the construction department, as well as the defense ministry’s waterways bureau, to separate the operation and management of military and civilian activities.”
According to the source, the orders were in accordance with a decision made at the 10th Expanded Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. The North Korean authorities have decided to physically separate the military and civilian sections of Songrim Port, install modernized equipment in accordance with their respective functions and establish independent operation and management departments.
In the orders, North Korea called for the development of a logistics management system using the latest technology to speed up logistics processing and enable real-time tracking and management of logistics. The port will also be equipped with a digital control tower capable of monitoring and adjusting all aspects of port operations in real time.
The orders also require the adoption of port safety regulations and best practices, the conduct of regular safety inspections to prevent accidents, and the installation of medical facilities and equipment needed to respond to emergencies.
In addition, the directive calls for the adoption of environmentally friendly waste disposal techniques and equipment in both the military and commercial sections of the port, and the establishment of environmental monitoring systems to check air and water quality and noise pollution in real time.
“The cabinet said that this means that the civilian section of the port, which will be operated and managed separately [from the military section], will adopt international standards in order to achieve a global level of competitiveness. According to the cabinet, the ultimate goal is to build an international shipping network through exchanges and cooperation with overseas ports,” the source said.
“In the long term, this is expected to have a positive impact on the national economy as a whole. Ultimately, these orders reflect the government’s strategy and goal of simultaneously pursuing national economic development and the efficiency of the military and munitions industries,” the source added.
Local officials approve of the division of Songrim Port into military and civilian sections, which they believe will facilitate more focused operation and management of the port, as well as a more detailed approach to port modernization.
However, there are also concerns that Songrim Port may not have the technology, funding, manpower or time needed for modernization, given that it is still expected to meet its shipping obligations for the second half of the year, the source said.
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
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