North Korea is expanding a key weapons production complex that assembles the type of short-range missiles used by Russia in Ukraine, researchers from a US think tank have concluded based on satellite imagery, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
The plant, known as the February 11 plant, is part of the Ryongsong engineering complex in Hamhyn, North Korea's second largest city on the country's east coast.
Sam Lehr, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation research (CNS), located at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey, said it was the only plant known to produce Hwasong-11-class solid-fuel ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian officials say the munitions, known in the West as KN-23, were used by Russian forces during the attack on Ukraine.
The expansion of the complex was not previously reported.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang deny that North Korea transferred weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022.
The North Korean mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
Satellite images taken in early October by commercial satellite firm Planet Labs show what appears to be an additional assembly building under construction, as well as a new living space supposedly designed for workers, according to an analysis by CNS researchers.
It is also reported that Pyongyang seems to be improving the entrances to some of the underground facilities of the complex.
An abandoned overhead crane that was in front of the tunnel entrance blocking easy access has been removed, suggesting that they may be focusing on this part of the facility, Lehr said.
"We see this as a suggestion that they are significantly increasing or trying to significantly increase the productivity of this plant," Lehr said.
The new assembly building is said to be about 60-70 percent of the size of the previous building, which was used to assemble missiles.
In 2023, state media published images, which Reuters examined, of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walking through new buildings at the Hamgyong complex, where workers were assembling tail kits and nose fairings for what analysts said was a KN-23.
In the past, publicly released videos by North Korean state media show that everything from tank wheels to rocket engine housings were made at the complex, Lehr said.
Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has fired thousands of missiles. Relying on North Korea for additional supplies could ease the strain on its own production capacity, Lehr said.
North Korea's state-run news agency KCNA reported that the Ryongsong machine-building complex is under construction.
This month, KCNA reported that the facility is "moving forward with projects to achieve the modernization goal planned for this year.
Researchers at SI Analytics, a South Korean satellite imagery company that uses AI technology to scan images, also confirmed new construction at the "February 11 plant," saying in a report on Monday that some of the construction near the loading zone is likely to be used to hide future plant operations from satellites.
"Given the presence of numerous construction materials, vehicles, and open freight cars loaded with materials around the site, construction appears to be progressing rapidly," the company said. The report said the plant was used to produce ballistic missiles, unnamed KN-23.
Michael Duitzman, also a researcher at CNS, said it is possible that the new construction identified in the satellite imagery could be a warehouse, but he believes it is more likely to be a new assembly building.
SI Analytics reported Monday that it also detected new construction at the nearby Vinalon complex on Feb. 8, which is believed to be producing ballistic missile fuel.
Joseph Dempsey, a military analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, said that North Korea's expansion of short-range ballistic missile facilities is likely to be motivated mainly by a desire to increase its own arsenal.
According to him, it is unclear to what extent Pyongyang could expand its production capacity to meet the requirements of the new cooperation with Moscow.
Розвідка Південної Кореї розкрила реальну кількість військ КНДР у росії21.11.24, 09:21
Recall
Experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise (Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise) found that Russia used, among other things, North Korean ballistic missiles of the KN-23/24 type during the combined attack on Ukraine on November 13.
According to KFI experts, the KN-23 combines both modern technologies and solutions from the last century. A significant percentage of the microelectronics is manufactured in China, Taiwan, the United States, and other countries. It is likely that the launches are carried out from North Korean-made launchers, as it would be much more difficult to adapt russian systems.
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Earlier, experts from KFI spoke about the technical features of North Korean missiles used by russia to attack Ukraine.