Is the State Department’s “Commission on Unalienable Rights” Relevant for...
At a press conference last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the creation of a Commission on Unalienable Rights. He explained its purpose: “The commission is composed of human rights...
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New China-North Korea Tumen Road Bridge Nears Completion
Key Findings Satellite imagery shows that the new Namyang-Tumen road bridge connecting North Hamgyong province in North Korea with China is nearing completion and could be open to traffic as early as...
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North Korea Fine Tunes its Short-Range Missile Strike Capabilities
North Korea conducted three separate tests that launched two projectiles each on July 25 (KN-23 missiles similar to Russia’s Iskander missile), July 31 (new large-caliber, multiple launch, guided...
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Mining North Korea: Magnesite Production at Ryongyang Mine
“We must improve the sectoral structure of the people’s economy, develop all sectors harmoniously, and secure world-class competitiveness in the magnesia industry and the graphite industry.”—Kim...
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Pakchon Uranium Concentrate Pilot Plant
The Pakchon Uranium Concentrate Pilot Plant is one of only two declared and known uranium concentrate plants in North Korea (Pyongsan Uranium Concentrate Plant at Pyongsan is the other).1 This...
View ArticleThe Meaning of GSOMIA Termination: Escalation of the Japan-Korea Dispute
Key Points The South Korean government announcement today of its intention not to renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) represents escalation of the Japan-Korea dispute...
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Sinpo South Shipyard: Construction of a New Ballistic Missile Submarine?
Key Findings New Beyond Parallel imagery (August 26, 2019) of Sinpo South Shipyard suggests circumstantial evidence of the construction of a new ballistic missile submarine and preliminary evidence of...
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Undeclared North Korea: The Kumchon-ni Missile Operating Base
Key Findings Located 1,100 kilometers west of Tokyo and 165 kilometers northeast of Seoul the Kumchon-ni undeclared ballistic missile operating base houses a battalion- or regiment-sized unit equipped...
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Yongbyon Declassified Part V: Expansion Begins Across the Kuryong-gang
KH-4B Mission 1105, November 21, 1968 Collected eleven months after the image provided in Part 4 (December 10, 1967) this November 21, 1968 KH-4B image of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center does not...
View ArticleNorth Korea Fine Tunes its Sea-Based Ballistic Missile Capabilities
Key Findings Around 7:11 am on October 2 (KST), North Korea launched what may have been a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from waters northeast of the Wonsan, Kangwon Province area into...
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Sinpo Update: Significant Concealment Activity after Pukguksong Launch
Key Findings The October 2, 2019 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test launch of the Pukguksong-3 has raised concerns over the forthcoming launch of North Korea’s first true ballistic...
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Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site: Imagery Supports ROK and U.S. Government...
Analysis Analysis of satellite imagery of the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility acquired during 2019 and more specifically on September 23rd and October 9th, 2019 shows the facility in caretaker...
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Yongbyon Declassified Part VI: Improved Road Networks
KH-4B Mission 1109, March 17, 1970 Collected 14 months after the image provided in Yongbyon Declassified Part V (November 21, 1968) this March 17, 1970 KH-4B image of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research...
View ArticleLiving History with Minister Song Min-soon
Negotiating the September 19 Joint Statement This Living History interview features Song Min-soon, the former South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the National Security Advisor to...
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Yongbyon Update: November Movement of Radioactive Material?
Key Findings Recent satellite imagery from November 2019 shows the presence of four specialized railcars that have been associated with the movement of radioactive material in the past.The last...
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Mining North Korea: Magnesite Production at the Taehung Youth Hero Mine
The Taehung Youth Hero Mine “has established the Juche orientation in the production of fireproof materials and this can be called a revolution. It is a great achievement that has brought about an...
View ArticleNorth Korea’s Strong Hand Against the U.S.
*A version of this op-ed appeared online on November 1, 2019 in The Wall Street Journal. For Halloween, Kim Jong Un gave Donald Trump a trick, not a treat: North Korea fired two short-range missiles...
View ArticleThe 66-year alliance between the U.S. and South Korea is in deep trouble
*A version of this op-ed appeared online on November 22, 2019 in The Washington Post. The 66-year alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea is in deep trouble. The U.S.-China trade...
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U.S.-South Korea Cost-Sharing Negotiations Impacting Korean Public Support...
The United States walked out of the latest round of cost-sharing negotiations with its ally South Korea last week in a rare sign of alliance dissonance. While all negotiations over how much the two...
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Sinpo Update: No Significant Developments
Key Findings There is no evidence that the “newly built submarine” inspected by Kim Jong-un on July 23, 2019 has been launched.While many media sources have described this new submarine as an imminent...
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