Satellite Images Show Boost to North Korea's Rocket Production
The pier is part of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, located in the northwestern region of North Korea, where the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, ordered the site to be expanded and modernized in March 2022 for launching large rockets and testing rocket engines.
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean Embassy in China via email for comment.
While North Korea has frequently fired ballistic missiles for testing and exercises, it has also launched rockets in attempts to place satellites into Earth's orbit, an activity prohibited by the United Nations Security Council, as it is seen as benefiting its ballistic missile program.
According to the Arms Control Association, ballistic missiles and satellite-carrier rockets share "very similar" technologies and components, including rocket engines, navigation and guidance systems, and payload separation mechanisms for both warheads and satellites.
During his 2018 meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, Kim committed to dismantling the Sohae Satellite Launching Station as part of an agreement to secure a reprieve from sanctions against his country, which he later broke.
Satellite imagery provided by Planet Labs PBC shows that the pier was under construction as of May 25 and was completed by Monday. Satellite operator ICEYE told Reuters that the pier "enables transport of larger rocket components than previously possible via rail."
The pier, located south of the space launch facility, was likely extended to allow "deeper draft vessels to be unloaded" at the seaport, according to a March analysis by the 38 North project, which focuses on North Korea and is run by the Stimson Center think tank.
Efforts to expand the facility's infrastructure included road construction, which could either widen the existing road or serve as the basis for railway tracks, according to the 38 North project.
North Korea has built two launch sites at the facility, known as the main launch pad and the coastal launch pad. The former has not been used for any launch activity since 2016, while the latter has been used for post-2016 launch attempts as of last November.
According to the 38 North project, North Korea attempted to launch satellite rockets at least nine times between August 1998 and May 2024, with three of them considered successful. In the most recent attempt, the rocket exploded during the first stage of flight after launch.
The Beyond Parallel project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in its analysis in May 2024: "Satellite imagery of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station shows that over the past year, North Korea has continued its large-scale development project for the facility.
"This project has demonstrated planning flexibility, achieved several significant goals, and is moving toward its stated goal of developing the facility into a diverse rocket and missile complex capable of supporting the development and launching of larger and more sophisticated [space launch vehicles], satellites, and missiles."
The 38 North project said in its analysis in March: "As springtime brings warmer weather and softer ground, work to expand the road and rail infrastructure throughout North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station continues. Recent commercial satellite imagery indicates that efforts to cut a new road, or possible rail bed, connecting the east tunnel entrance with the coastal launch pad and southern seaport are underway, which could allow for vehicles or launch materials to easily travel to and from the various parts of the complex."
It remains to be seen whether North Korea will attempt to launch rockets to place additional satellites into space. Its southern neighbor, South Korea, has launched four of five planned spy satellites in less than two years to enhance its reconnaissance capabilities.
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