Washington: New satellite images of North Korea suggest it has begun rebuilding a portion of a facility previously used to test long-range missile engines, analysts have said, raising questions about the future of US-North Korea negotiations. The images were taken two days after talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un ended on February 28, without reaching a deal on denuclearization. Pyongyang had earlier pledged to dismantle the site as a confidence-building measure with Washington.
The Centre for Strategic Studies’ Beyond Parallel project and 38 North, both North Korea monitoring websites, said they observed activity at the Sohae site at Tongchang-ri satellite launch facility, dormant since about August of last year, CNN reported. Tongchang-ri is reportedly one of the few known missile component development facilities inside North Korea.
According to 38 North, efforts to rebuild the site’s launch pad and missile engine test stand began sometime between February 16 and March 2, meaning work began either in the days before, during, or immediately after Kim and Trump abruptly ended their second summit in Vietnam on February 28 without signing a deal. Beyond Parallel reported there had been “activity” at a vertical engine test pad and a launch pad’s rail-mounted rocket transfer structure. It said that the activity was “deliberate and purposeful”.
