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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 9 March 2022
Satellite images show activity at North Korean nuclear site

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and Punggye-ri was first report- other building, and what is months to move the needle Following North Korea’s
JON GAMBRELL ed in an analysis of satellite possibly some lumber and with the Biden administra- latest launch on Saturday,
Associated Press images from Maxar Tech- sawdust,” Lewis and Sch- tion, which has been pre- which it claimed was re-
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) nologies by Jeffrey Lewis merler wrote. “North Korea occupied with Russia’s es- lated to technologies for a
— Commercial satellite im- spy satellite it is developing,
ages suggest a resumption South Korea’s presidential
of construction activity at office revealed that Seoul
North Korea’s nuclear test- is closely monitoring the
ing ground nearly four years Punggye-ri site along with
after leader Kim Jong Un other North Korean nuclear
declared the site’s closure and missile facilities.
and invited foreign journal- Meanwhile, South Korea’s
ists to observe the destruc- military said it fired warning
tion of tunnels ahead of his shots at a North Korean pa-
first summit with then-U.S. trol boat that temporarily
President Donald Trump. crossed the countries’ dis-
Analysts say it’s unclear puted western sea bound-
how long it would take ary while chasing an un-
North Korea to restore the armed North Korean vessel.
site for nuclear detonations The North Korean patrol
if it intends to do so. The site boat crossed the so-called
in Punggye-ri in the coun- Northern Limit Line on Tues-
try’s northeast was used for day morning while pursuing
its sixth and last nuclear test the vessel in waters near
in 2017. South Korea’s Baekryeong
The sighting of construction island and retreated after
activity at the site comes a South Korean naval ship
amid a deepening diplo- fired warning shots.
matic freeze since the col- South Korean military offi-
lapse of the second Kim- cials seized the North Kore-
Trump meeting in February an vessel being chased by
2019, when the Americans the patrol boat and were
rejected North Korean de- questioning its seven crew-
mands for major sanctions members.
relief in exchange for a par- South Korea’s navy has
tial surrender of its nuclear South Korean Navy’s patrol ships search for survivors from the sunken South Korean navy ship near often fired warning shots
capabilities. South Korea’s Baekryeong island, March 29, 2010. to repel North Korean ves-
North Korea has used the Associated Press sels crossing the countries’
pause in talks to further ex- poorly marked sea border,
pand its military capabili- and Dave Schmerler at the uses a substantial amount calating invasion of Ukraine but there also have been
ties, including nine rounds James Martin Center for of wood at the site both and a regional confronta- some deadly clashes over
of missile launches in 2022 Nonproliferation Studies at for buildings and shoring tion with China. the years. South Korea
alone. The unusually fast the Middlebury Institute of up tunnels. These changes The U.S. intelligence com- blamed North Korea for an
pace indicates an intent International Studies. have occurred only in the munity’s annual threat as- attack on a South Korean
to pressure the Biden ad- Satellite photos from Planet past few days.” sessment, published Tues- warship that killed 46 sailors
ministration, which has of- Labs PBC analyzed Tues- This indicates North Ko- day, also warned that in 2010, but the North has
fered open-ended talks day by The Associated rea has made a decision there could be a new nu- denied responsibility.
but shown no willingness to Press showed two new about the status of the site clear test by North Korea South Korea has patrolled
concede on sanctions. structures appeared to and possibly plans to bring this year. waters around the North-
Kim presided over a rul- have been built to the site’s it back to a state of readi- “In January, North Korea ern Limit Line for decades
ing Workers’ Party meet- south between February ness to resume nuclear test- began laying the ground- after it was drawn up by
ing in January where Polit- and early March. Those im- ing, the analysts said. work for an increase in ten- the U.N. command at the
buro members denounced ages were taken on March “The test site is many sions that could include (in- end of the 1950-53 Korean
what they described as U.S. 6, two days after the Maxar months, if not years, from tercontinental ballistic mis- War. North Korea does not
hostility and issued a veiled images used by Lewis and being ready for North Ko- sile) or possibly a nuclear recognize the line and in-
threat to resume tests of nu- Schmerler. rea to conduct nuclear ex- test this year — actions that sists upon a boundary that
clear explosives and long- The analysts said the con- plosions there,” they wrote. Pyongyang has not taken encroaches deeply into
range missiles that Kim uni- struction work was the first “How long it would take since 2017,” the assessment waters currently controlled
laterally suspended in 2018 activity they saw at the North Korea to resume ex- said. by the South.
to create diplomatic space site since May 2018, when plosive testing at the site The weapons North Korea The incident came a day
with Trump. North Korea invited a depends on the extent of flight-tested this year in- before South Koreans vote
Some experts say Kim is group of foreign journalists the damage to the tun- clude a purported hyper- in a highly contested presi-
reviving an old playbook to observe the destruction nels themselves, something sonic missile designed to dential election. The bit-
of brinkmanship to extract of tunnels at the site. North we do not know with con- evade regional missile de- ter campaign has been
concessions from Washing- Korea then didn’t invite fidence. It is also possible fense systems. marked by clashes be-
ton and his neighbors as he outside experts capable of that North Korea will re- Some experts say North tween major candidates
grapples with a decaying certifying what had been sume nuclear testing at an- Korea may use another over whether South Korea
economy crippled by the destroyed. other location.” nuclear test to claim it has should continue pursuing
pandemic, mismanage- “We see very early signs of Some South Korean ana- acquired an ability to pro- engagement with North
ment and persisting U.S.-led activity at the new site, in- lysts have said North Ko- duce a nuclear warhead Korea or take a harder
sanctions. cluding construction of a rea could possibly resume small enough to fit on that line to check its nuclear
The new construction at new building, repair of an- nuclear tests in the coming missile. threat.q