North Korea has begun constructing two new warships simultaneously at shipyards on its east and west coasts, according to NK News, which cited Planet Labs satellite imagery. Construction at the Nampho Shipyard on the west coast, under way since early July, may produce the country's first 10,000-ton cruiser, while activity at the Chongjin Shipyard on the east coast — visible from mid-August — could represent a second destroyer or another cruiser of the same class. The simultaneous expansion follows a directive by leader Kim Jong-un to upgrade shipyard capacity across the board, signalling an accelerating push to modernise North Korea's naval forces.