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North Korean rockets, such as those shown in drilling near Pyongyang on March 7, 2017, were launched from mobile trucks.
KCNA via Reuters
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KCNA via Reuters
North Korean rockets, such as those shown in drilling near Pyongyang on March 7, 2017, were launched from mobile trucks.
KCNA via Reuters
Commercial satellite images revealed the location and configuration of a North Korean missile base, which had not been unveiled before, including deep underground tunnels designed to house the weapons.
The base, known as the base of operations for Sakkanmol missiles, is located about 90 km northwest of the South Korean capital, Seoul (38.584698 ° 126.107945 °). According to the researchers who located the base, it consists of a series of above-ground buildings, including barracks and vehicle maintenance facilities, as well as underground tunnels for trucks carrying missiles. This particular facility probably contains short-range North Korean missiles that could be used to hit South Korea in the event of war.
Sakkanmol missile exploitation base in North Korea.
SCRS / Beyond Parallel / DigitalGlobe 2018
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SCRS / Beyond Parallel / DigitalGlobe 2018
Sakkanmol missile exploitation base in North Korea.
SCRS / Beyond Parallel / DigitalGlobe 2018
Intelligence estimates that there are about 20 similar bases scattered throughout the country. Some, like the Sakkanmol base, contain short-range missiles, others missiles capable of hitting further, especially in Japan and the American continent. It is unclear whether Sakkanmol missiles would be armed with conventional or nuclear warheads, but at least some of the bases would have nuclear capability, said Joseph Bermudez, senior researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and author of the new book. report.
Sakkanmol and other similar bases form the backbone of North Korea's nuclear defense. "This is their main strategic deterrent against the United States, South Korea and their allies," said Bermudez. While other countries use bombers and submarines to use their nuclear weapons, it is believed that North Korea is almost entirely dependent on trucks. In the event of war, the trucks would probably be powered and armed in their underground bunkers located at these bases. They would then go to one of the many preselected sites from which they could launch their missiles. The sites must simply be flat and level, Bermudez says. "A highway would be an excellent choice," he says.
The Sakkanmol missile bases have an underground missile support center.
SCRS / Beyond Parallel / DigitalGlobe 2018
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SCRS / Beyond Parallel / DigitalGlobe 2018
The Sakkanmol missile bases have an underground missile support center.
SCRS / Beyond Parallel / DigitalGlobe 2018
Researchers not affiliated with the latest discovery say the discovery of the base is significant. "I think it's the first time we're seeing an operational base of this magnitude," says Catherine Dill, senior researcher at the Washington-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She explains that the base has distinctively North Korean characteristics. including greenhouses, where soldiers grow their own food. Given the isolated mountain location of the base and the limited infrastructure of North Korea, "it is easier to have as many facilities as possible," she said. declared.
Dill says she was not surprised by the existence of the base. At a summit in Singapore earlier this year, North Korea pledged to work towards denuclearization, but this vague promise only applied at one point given in the distant future, added Mr. Dill. In the meantime, North Korea will continue to strengthen its existing nuclear deterrent. "North Korea continues to build infrastructure that reinforces its status as a nuclear-weapon State," she said.
Bermudez agrees, but adds that he is impressed by the extent of efforts being made to dig tunnels in nearby mountains. Tunnels are designed to make missiles easier to survive in the event of war. "Sakkanmol is one of the many strategic missile bases scattered in the country," he said. Taken together, he says, they represent an effective deterrent.
Bermudez says that he has identified up to a dozen other bases and that he will publish others in the future.
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