Pyongyang expands military rocket facilities near DMZ
Satellite imagery shows North Korea constructing dozens of facilities near the demilitarized zone that analysts say could support rocket launchers aimed at the South Korean capital.
A projectile is seen launched in a photo carried by Korean Central News Agency on May 27.YONHAP
Pyongyang has reportedly built dozens of military facilities believed to support multiple rocket launchers targeting Seoul near the inter-Korean border, according to satellite imagery.
Analysts say the construction is part of leader Kim Jong-un’s broader effort to bolster frontline forces and fortify its southern border along the demilitarized zone. A total of 21 buildings measuring about 52 meters (171 feet) in length appeared to have been built between 2023 and last year at small military bases south of Kaesong, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported Thursday.
The buildings feature high ceilings and elongated drive-through designs that allow vehicles to enter from one end and exit from the other. Satellite imagery also identified adjoining office buildings and other facilities. The sites are located about 52 kilometers (32 miles) from Seoul in a straight line, according to the RFA.
The layout and location of the buildings suggest they were built to support the storage and maintenance of transporter erector launchers (TELs) and multiple launch rocket systems, according to experts cited by the RFA.
Their long, high-roofed structure could allow launcher vehicles to be parked in rows or serviced while remaining in an upright position. No TELs or multiple rocket launchers were visible in the satellite imagery.
“I see no reason for civilian activity at this level of construction in this location,” Joseph Bermudez Jr., a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told RFA.
The construction also aligns with Kim's recent push to heighten military pressure on Seoul, including his call to fortify the southern border.
Kim told commanders of military divisions and brigades that frontline units guarding the southern border should be strengthened under the ruling party's territorial defense policy to turn the border into an impregnable fortress on May 17, according to the regime-controlled Rodong Sinmun.
Building structures suspected for military-use are seen installed in North Korea near the border area in a photo taken in 2024.RADIO FREE ASIA
Kim observed tests of new multiple rocket launchers and missiles on June 25 — the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Separately, NK News reported Thursday that satellite imagery suggests Pyongyang recently conducted a rocket engine test at the Sohae space launch complex. NK News is a U.S.-based outlet specializing in North Korea.
Commercial satellite images from Planet Labs showed vegetation across from the flame trench at the Sohae space launch complex’s vertical engine test stand in North Pyongan Province had withered between June 30 and Wednesday. NK News assessed that the damage was likely caused by the intense heat generated during a prolonged rocket engine burn.
“The latest rocket engine test appears to be at least the second in two months at the […] engine test stand, which is used for static firing liquid-fuel motors for satellite launch vehicles [SLVs] and long-range nuclear missiles,” NK News reported.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, accompanied by military soldiers, observes a military weapon test in a photo carried by Korean Central News Agency on June 26.YONHAP
"The Russian side expressed serious concern over Seoul’s growing drift toward NATO, as demonstrated, among other things, by the Republic of Korea’s practical steps to deepen military and military-technical cooperation with the North Atlantic alliance, the consequences of which pose a threat to Russia’s security," the statement from Moscow’s Foreign Ministry said, referring South Korea by its official name.
"It is unacceptable for the Republic of Korea to become a de facto participant in NATO’s qualitative and quantitative rearmament process, as the alliance has openly declared its preparations for war with Russia."
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung proposed expanding defense industry cooperation between Seoul and NATO during his keynote speech at NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7.
“If the stable production capabilities and proven technological prowess of the Republic of Korea, a reliable partner, are combined with NATO’s long-standing know-how, the security capabilities of both sides will be much stronger than they are now," Lee said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
