A North Korean missile launching station appears to be in the process of being taken down, according to a report from U.S.-Korea watchdog 38 North.
According to satellite images from 38 North released Monday night, key aspects of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station — including the launch pad — are being dismantled.
The station has reportedly been used as the Asian nation’s main satellite launch facility.
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After a historic face-to-face meeting last month, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had destroyed a “major” test site.
Trump did not identify the site, but a U.S. official subsequently told Reuters that it was Sohae.
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At the meeting, the two leaders agreed to “work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Amid speculation that North Korea hadn’t done enough to work towards that goal, Trump took to Twitter to clarify.
“A Rocket has not been launched by North Korea in 9 months. Likewise, no Nuclear Tests. Japan is happy, all of Asia is happy,” Trump wrote earlier Monday.
The pictures are dated July 20, and show that the roof and part of the structure of a rail transfer system have been removed.
Cranes and other construction vehicles are also seen in the pictures.
“Considerable progress has been made in dismantling the rail-mounted processing/transfer structure. One corner has been completely dismantled and the parts can be seen lying on the ground,” 38 North reports.
However, the watchdog pointed out, the fuel bunkers and the main processing building remain untouched.
Officials estimate the work started in the last two weeks.
Jenny Town, managing editor of 38 North, which is based at Washington’s Stimson Center, said the work at Sohae could be an important move to keep negotiations going.
“This could — and that’s a big ‘could’ — mean that North Korea is also willing to forgo satellite launches for the time being as well as nuclear and missile tests. This distinction has derailed diplomacy in the past,” she said.
— with a file from Reuters
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