The North Korea

North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

n Najin-class frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

s are some of the largest vessels in the Korean People's Navy

Korean People's Navy

The Korean People's Army Naval Force is the navy of North Korea. The Korean People's Army is made up of the Ground Force, the North Korean Air Force, and the Navy. It was established on June 5, 1946. The navy strength in the 1990s was about 40,000 to 60,000; current strength is at about 46,000...

. Although they bear a striking resemblance to ex-Soviet

Soviet Navy

The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...

 Kola class frigate

Kola class frigate

The Kola class was the NATO reporting name for a group of frigates built for the Soviet Navy in the 1950s. The Soviet Designation was Storozhevoi Korabl Project 42. These ships were analogous to World War 2 era destroyer escorts or German Elbing class torpedo boats...

s, they are unrelated to any Russian or Chinese design. The class was originally fitted with a trainable triple 21 inch torpedo launcher, which was replaced in the mid-1980s with fixed Styx missile launchers taken from Osa class missile boat

Osa class missile boat

The Project 205 Tsunami, more commonly known by their NATO reporting name Osa, are a class of missile boats developed for the Soviet Navy in the early 1960s. The Osas are probably the most numerous class of missile boats ever built, with over 400 vessels constructed for both the Soviet Navy and for...

s. The design is inherently dangerous, and even a minor missile failure would result in significant damage to the ship.