SEOUL — Researchers have discovered another secret ballistic missile base in North Korea, one of an estimated 20 that the communist state has not declared. The base,…
SEOUL — Researchers have discovered another secret ballistic missile base in North Korea, one of an estimated 20 that the communist state has not declared.
The base, called Sino-ri, was disclosed in a report released Monday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington D. C.-based think tank.
It is located 132 miles north of the demilitarized zone that divides North and South Korea and provides “an operational-level nuclear or conventional first strike capability against targets located both throughout the Korean Peninsula and in most of Japan,” according to the report.
CSIS reported on the existence of 13 of the 20 undeclared missile bases in November. The newly identified Sino-ri facility is one of the oldest in existence and was used for the first deployments of Pyongyang’s Scud missiles and its Nodong medium-range ballistic missile, according to Monday’s report.
The base may also have also played a role in the development of the Pukkuksong-2 (KN-15) medium range ballistic missile, which was first tested in February 2017 and is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
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The report comes after just days after the White House announcement that a second summit is going to be held between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in late February.
