N. Korea rebuilding missile test site?

‘I would be very disappointed,’ Trump says

WASHINGTON• North Korea has started rebuilding a key missile test site, analysts believe, after they spotted changes in recent satellite images of the facility.

Cranes were visible in parts of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, which also tests technology linked to intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The activity dates from between mid-february and early March — meaning it took place either before, during or just after Donald Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un in Vietnam.

The Center for Strategic Studies’ Beyond Parallel project and 38 North, two respected North Korea research groups, concluded there was activity at the site after seeing satellite footage.

Jenny Town, of 38 North, told the BBC: “The North Koreans are likely to see the rebuilding not as an active part of their missile program, but of their civilian space program.”

There were also reports that South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, made a similar assessment at a recent briefing to a committee of the country’s politicians.

Two parts of the Sohae station seem to have been developed in recent weeks. At both the launch pad and the engine test site, some buildings appear to have been reassembled.

One of the South Korean lawmakers who attended the intelligence briefing said Wednesday that NIS director Suh Hoon said the structures being restored at the launch site include roofs and building doors.

He quoted Suh as saying that the move could be preparation to restart long-range rocket launches if nuclear diplomacy completely collapses, or could be an attempt to add structures that could be dramatically blown up in a show of denuclearization commitment when U.S. inspectors visit if negotiations with Washington go well.

The changes are significant because the facility has been dormant since August 2018, a few weeks after Trump and Kim first met in Singapore.

“I would be very disappointed if that were happening,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that he would be “very, very disappointed in Chairman Kim.” He said it was “a very early report” and that “we’ll see what happens. We’ll take a look. It will ultimately get solved.”

Experts warned against drawing too many conclusions from the changes, saying the activity does not necessarily mean North Korea is preparing to restart missile launches. However, they also noted the regime would be aware any developments at the facility would be spotted by the Americans, who monitor such sites.