North Korea disguises secret missile base as golf course
The site was until last year the location of Kim Jong-un's Winter Palace, also known as the Ryokpo residence, in a heavily wooded valley about 20 miles south-east of the capital.
However, the palace complex was recently demolished and replaced with a series of new structures, roads and what appear to be golf greens.
A closer examination of the facilities using near-infrared images over the course of the construction showed that the greens were reinforced with concrete bases in June, with a thin layer of soil added in August. By November, analysts determined that the grass had taken hold and the site resembled a golf course.
But analysts from the Middlesbury Institute's James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies have said that flat areas with concrete bases are ideal launch pads for long-range ballistic missiles and that some of the other buildings at the site are not typically found at a golf course.
New roads at the site are wide enough to accommodate the tractor-erector vehicles required to manoeuvre the Hwasong-19 ICBM into position. The 92-foot missile was first successfully launched in October 2024, can carry a nuclear warhead and has a range of at least 9,300 miles, putting all of North America and Europe within range.
One of the new buildings at the site is a four-storey building that is estimated to be 118ft high and would be able to accommodate missiles in an upright position.
Sam Lair, a member of the research team, told Radio Free Asia: 'While this facility could be used for shorter range systems like the Hwasong-11/KN-23/KN-24 series of missiles, the height of the high-bay building suggests it is also built to allow longer-range systems to operate from it.'
He added: 'You would not need a 36 meters [118 feet] high building for just short-range systems'.
Behind the building is another structure that has been covered in earth, for greater protection as well as concealment, that could house four launch vehicles.
North Korea on Monday launched a volley of ballistic missiles into waters off its west coast, coinciding with the start of the Freedom Shield joint US-South Korean military exercises in the South.
The drills will last for 11 days and the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement that its forces were in a 'full readiness posture' and were closely cooperating with US forces.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
34 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Syria and Saudi Arabia sign investment deals worth £4.4 billion
The agreements signed at the Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum cover a wide range of sectors, including property, telecommunications and finance. The planned projects include housing, the reconstruction of war-damaged areas, the development of tourism, medical and entertainment sites, skyscrapers, and three new cement factories. Syrian minister of information Hamza al-Mustafa said the deals are expected to create around 50,000 direct and 150,000 indirect job opportunities. Saudi Arabia has been strongly supportive of the interim government in Syria led by former insurgent commander President Ahmad al-Sharaa since the fall of former president Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive. The country faces major economic and social challenges. The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least 250 billion dollars (£185 billion) to rebuild Syria after years of civil war. Some experts now say that number could reach at least 400 billion dollars (£295 billion). The Saudi deals come as a political boost to Syria's interim government at a moment when the country is reeling from a new round of sectarian violence that broke out in the southern province of Sweida earlier this month. Clashes broke out on July 13 between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and armed groups of the Druze religious minority, and government security forces who intervened to restore order ended up siding with the Bedouins. Members of the security forces allegedly killed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes. Druze armed groups later launched revenge attacks on Bedouin communities. Israel also intervened, launching strikes on convoys of government forces and on the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters in Damascus, which Israeli officials said were in defence of the Druze religious minority. Hundreds have been killed, and the UN says more than 130,000 people have been displaced. The fighting has stopped as a ceasefire takes hold, but tensions remain high and the violence has further shaken the trust of religious minorities in the new government.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Starmer condemns ‘indefensible' starvation of Palestinians in Gaza and calls emergency talks
Keir Starmer is set to have an emergency call with his closest allies as he condemned that 'unspeakable and indefensible' unfolding crisis in Gaza. The prime minister appeared to have lost his remaining patience with Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government as he used his strongest language yet to condemn the deliberate starvation of thousands of Palestinians trapped in Gaza. And as he prepared to hold an emergency call with French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday, Sir Keir appeared to be on the cusp of being prepared to recognise a Palestinian state. It comes as starvation in Gaza is reported to have dramatically increased in recent days; most of the 113 hunger-related deaths recorded there have come in recent weeks, and 82 were children, according to Palestinian health officials. The prime minister is coming under pressure from trade union backers to ban imports from Israeli settler communities and end a trade agreement with Israel which reduces tariffs to the UK. Israel has imposed heavy restrictions on the amount of food and aid allowed to enter Gaza, limiting aid to a handful of trucks each day following a total 11-week blockade earlier this year. UN officials say the aid delivered into the Gaza Strip is a drop in the ocean of what is needed. In a furious statement, Sir Keir said: 'The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe.' It was the first time that he had not referenced Israel's right to defend itself in his comments on the Middle East crisis or mentioned the hostages continuing to be held by Hamas. He announced: 'I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace. We all agree on the pressing need for Israel to change course and allow the aid that is desperately needed to enter Gaza without delay.' But the prime minister warned: 'It is hard to see a hopeful future in such dark times. But I must reiterate my call for all sides to engage in good faith, and at pace, to bring about an immediate ceasefire and for Hamas to unconditionally release all hostages. We strongly support the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt to secure this.' And there was a strong hint that with MPs and trade unions pushing for recognition of a Palestinian state similar to the actions of Spain and Ireland, he is close to agreeing to the move. He said: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' However, Labour's biggest financial backers are urging the prime minister to go even further with the trade unions demanding recognition now and the cancellation of a trade agreement with Israel which gives it preferential treatment on tariffs. In a statement the Trades Union Congress (TUC) claimed that given Israel's 'ongoing violations of international law and the continued targeting of civilians,' it is 'plain wrong' that goods from Israel are imported to the UK with reduced tariffs. It also called for a ban on imported illegal settlement goods; an end to arms sales to Israel in compliance with international law; and sanctions on individuals promoting and committing war crimes. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: 'We are deeply concerned by Israel's continued assault on Gaza and the mounting death toll of innocent civilians – including those killed by Israeli forces while seeking food, water, and shelter at Israeli and US backed aid distribution points. 'This timeline of horrors is happening in plain sight - and the violence shows no sign of abating. Despite growing international condemnation, current measures are clearly not working.' But the influential Labour Friends of Israel (LFI), which has powerful supporters in the cabinet including chancellor Rachel Reeves, urged the prime minister not to prematurely recognise a Palestinian state. LFI chair Jon Pearce MP said: "Recognition is a card that can only be played once. It must be done when it will have maximum impact. 'As we saw when Ireland, Spain and Norway recognised a Palestinian state outside of any process, recognition changes nothing on the ground but does risk tearing up the Oslo Accords without a plan for security and sovereignty to replace it, whilst at the same time being seen as a reward for terrorism, inadvertently emboldening Hamas in the ceasefire negotiations.'
North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Syria and Saudi Arabia sign investment deals worth £4.4 billion
The agreements signed at the Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum cover a wide range of sectors, including property, telecommunications and finance. The planned projects include housing, the reconstruction of war-damaged areas, the development of tourism, medical and entertainment sites, skyscrapers, and three new cement factories. Syrian minister of information Hamza al-Mustafa said the deals are expected to create around 50,000 direct and 150,000 indirect job opportunities. Saudi Arabia has been strongly supportive of the interim government in Syria led by former insurgent commander President Ahmad al-Sharaa since the fall of former president Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive. The country faces major economic and social challenges. The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least 250 billion dollars (£185 billion) to rebuild Syria after years of civil war. Some experts now say that number could reach at least 400 billion dollars (£295 billion). The Saudi deals come as a political boost to Syria's interim government at a moment when the country is reeling from a new round of sectarian violence that broke out in the southern province of Sweida earlier this month. Clashes broke out on July 13 between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and armed groups of the Druze religious minority, and government security forces who intervened to restore order ended up siding with the Bedouins. Members of the security forces allegedly killed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes. Druze armed groups later launched revenge attacks on Bedouin communities. Israel also intervened, launching strikes on convoys of government forces and on the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters in Damascus, which Israeli officials said were in defence of the Druze religious minority. Hundreds have been killed, and the UN says more than 130,000 people have been displaced. The fighting has stopped as a ceasefire takes hold, but tensions remain high and the violence has further shaken the trust of religious minorities in the new government.
