According to recent satellite images, North Korea is building…take a wild guess…
new missiles!
The confetti isn’t to suggest that weapons are good; it’s merely a congratulations if you guessed correctly.
Much was made about President Trump’s historic June summit with Kim Jong-un, and I still believe the meeting was of great importance (covered here, here, and here). But, it seems you can’t necessarily trust a country run by a draconian dictator, as evidenced by this.
Now, more evidence could be breaching.
Satellite photos suggest the weapons are being constructed in Sanumdong, on the outskirts of Pyongyang, which was also home to the production of NK’s first missiles capable of reaching the U.S.
The East Asian country appears to be building one, possibly two liquid-fueled ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles).
The Washington Post explains the new missiles may be the same as the site’s previous long-range weapons:
“The Sanumdong factory has produced two of North Korea’s ICBMs, including the powerful Hwasong-15, the first with a proven range that could allow it to strike the U.S. East Coast. The newly-obtained evidence points to ongoing work on at least one Hwasong-15 at the Sanumdong plant, according to imagery collected by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in recent weeks.”
Photos also reveal large vehicles traveling to and from the manufacturing plant.
As reported by Reuters, the trucks are similar to those used in the past by North Korea to move its ICBMs.
Despite the country’s past production of two Hwasong-15’s, a U.S. official told Reuters that NK had still not created a re-entry vehicle that could survive a trip through the Earth’s atmosphere at high velocity in order to deliver a nuclear warhead.
“They seem to have figured out the engines, but not all the higher-tech stuff, and that might be what this is about.”
The official also said the likely liquid-fueled nature of the missiles poses less of a danger:
“What’s more, a liquid-fueled ICBM doesn’t pose nearly the threat that a solid-fueled one would because they take so long to fuel, and that’s something we almost certainly could see in time to abort a launch, given our assets in the vicinity.”
Are you surprised by this turn of events? What light do you think it casts on June’s summit? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
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This July 22, 2018, satellite image released and annotated by 38 North on Monday, July 23, shows what the U.S. research group says is the partial dismantling of the rail-mounted transfer structure, at center, at the Sohae launch site in North Korea. 38 North said North Korea has started dismantling key facilities at its main satellite launch site in what appears to be a step toward fulfilling a commitment made by leader Kim Jong Un at his summit with President Donald Trump in June. (Airbus Defense & Space/38 North via AP)
This July 22, 2018, satellite image released and annotated by 38 North on Monday, July 23, 2018, shows what the U.S. research group says is the dismantled engine test stand at the Sohae launch site in North Korea. The U.S. research group says North Korea has started dismantling key facilities at its main satellite launch site in what appears to be a step toward fulfilling a commitment made by leader Kim Jong Un at his summit with President Donald Trump in June. (Airbus Defense & Space/38 North via AP)
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