North Korea hiding military bases that could launch nuclear missiles at the US, reports show
- The hidden network is designed to maintain Pyongyang’s long-range launch capability even after joint air strikes by South Korean and US forces
- The reports would appear to contradict North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s denuclearisation pledges
North Korea has at least 13 operating missile bases that its government has not declared, a network designed to maintain Pyongyang’s ability to launch missiles capable of reaching the continental US even after joint air strikes by South Korean and American forces, according to new reports from a Washington think tank.
Satellite imagery of one such site, located 135 kilometres (84 miles) northwest of Seoul, reveals entrances to seven underground missile facilities and missile launchers hidden by camouflaged tarps, said one of two reports on Monday by the Beyond Parallel programme of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank.
Imagery of the Sakkanmol missile base “continues to show minor infrastructure changes to the base that are consistent with what is often seen at remote [Korean People’s Army] bases of all types”, the report said.
“As of November 2018, the base is active and being reasonably well-maintained by North Korean standards.”
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Beyond Parallel is led by Victor Cha, who was a candidate to become Washington’s ambassador to South Korea, a position left open by US President Donald Trump more than a year into his term in the White House. The programme is a clearing house for information and ideas about Korean unification.