Home

The Korea Herald

Latest news

Most Popular

  1. 1

    Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote

    Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
  2. 2

    Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low

    Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
  3. 3

    Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?

    Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
  4. 4

    Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth

    Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
  5. 5

    Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen

    Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
  1. 6

    [KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs

    [KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
  2. 7

    North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South

    North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
  3. 8

    Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official

    Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
  4. 9

    S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership

    S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
  5. 10

    Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023

    Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
피터빈트

N. Korea begins dismantling rocket test site: analysts

By AFP

Published : July 24, 2018 - 09:45

    • Link copied

WASHINGTON -- North Korea appears to have started dismantling key facilities at a rocket-engine test center, a group of experts said Monday, potentially marking a significant step after last month‘s summit between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

According to the 38 North group, commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae satellite launching station indicates Pyongyang has begun taking down a processing building and a rocket-engine test stand that had been used to test liquid-fuel engines for ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles.


 

commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae satellite launching station indicates Pyongyang has begun taking down a processing building and a rocket-engine test stand that had been used to test liquid-fuel engines for ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles. (AFP) commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae satellite launching station indicates Pyongyang has begun taking down a processing building and a rocket-engine test stand that had been used to test liquid-fuel engines for ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles. (AFP)

Sohae, on the northwest coast of North Korea, has been used to test rockets, with the aim of putting a satellite into orbit.

But rocket engines are easily repurposed for use in missiles and outside observers say nuclear-armed Pyongyang’s space program is a fig leaf for weapons tests.

38 North analyst Joseph Bermudez called the move an “important first step” for Kim in fulfilling commitments he made to Trump during their June summit in Singapore.


Smoke and debris rise as barracks for workers at North Korea's nuclear test site at Punggye-ri are blown up on May 24. (AP-Yonhap) Smoke and debris rise as barracks for workers at North Korea's nuclear test site at Punggye-ri are blown up on May 24. (AP-Yonhap)

Since Sohae is “believed to have played an important role in the development of technologies for the North‘s intercontinental ballistic missile program, these efforts represent a significant confidence-building measure on the part of North Korea,” Bermudez said.

A US defense official, however, told AFP that the Pentagon was not closely tracking activities at Sohae in terms of how it relates to the denuclearization of North Korea.

“It’s not on the radar, so to speak,” the official said.

On Monday, Trump said he was “very happy” with how talks were progressing with North Korea, after observers and the media highlighted an apparent lack of concrete results since the summit with Kim. (AFP)

 

  • AFP
    AFP
    AFP

  • Articles by AFP

More from Headlines