Analysis of a satellite picture showed that North Korea's new warship class can accommodate dozens vertical launch cells for missiles the military has already developed. This would give their navy more power and create export opportunities.

The unnamed class being built at the Chongjin shipyards and Nampo is not well known. South Korea's Military said in December that they would be able to displace 4,000 tons of cargo, which is less than half the size a U.S. Arleigh Burke class destroyer.

According to researcher Jeffrey Lewis, images taken of the ship at Nampo during the last week in March show that its deck has cavities large enough to accommodate up 50 missiles depending on the type.

Lewis, the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (California) said: "They're big cavities."

"I think that 32 missiles in front, and a few less in the rear would be an acceptable number." Or, it could be much fewer ballistic missiles.

Vertical launch systems allow ships to carry a greater number of missiles and makes launching and reloading simpler.

Lewis stated that North Korea has developed several types of missiles compatible with VLS cell, which Pyongyang hadn't fielded in any previous surface ships.

He added that these types of missiles include anti-ship missiles as well as land attack missiles.

Euan Graham said that the new ships' weapons seemed to be similar to those of the South Korean Navy. He is a senior analyst with Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

He added, "I believe we should take conventional improvements seriously because North Korea is limited in resources and has invested heavily in nuclear weapons as a way to close the gap between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States."

It must be part of their operational concept, even though it may seem odd to us.

North Korean state-run media first released photos of the vessel in December when Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Un's leader, conducted an inspection.

Later, he made several additional visits to the shipyards where the country announced that it was building its first nuclear submarine as recently as March.

Kim was quoted by state media as saying: "An overwhelming number of warships is needed to deter hostile forces from their 'gunboat diplomacy'."

The South Korean Ministry of National Defence did not respond immediately to comments.

Lewis said that compatibility with VLS could make the weapon even more appealing as an export for countries who are isolated from other arms suppliers or can't afford them.

He said that if you wanted to buy cheap anti-ship missiles from North Korea, it would be nice if the system was tested.

Quantity is a unique quality. These North Korean missiles may not be as good, but they're much, much less expensive than their Russian counterparts.

Collin Koh of Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said that the new ships may not have much of an impact on the conflict, despite being more advanced than other ships in the North Korean navy.

They are known for their locations, and they can't operate too far from North Korean shores. Their technology is decades behind that of South Korean and U.S. Warships.

He said that Pyongyang's investments in improving its navy show it is serious.

He said that the North Korean Navy is traditionally a coast defence navy. "They are probably trying to re-energize the fleet."

Kim emphasized the importance of strengthening North Korea’s navy last year. According to 38 North, an independent North Korea monitoring program based in Washington, the country has just finished fitting out its latest Sinpo C ballistic missile sub.

(source: Reuters)