North Korean Test Site Doesn't Look Dismantled Anymore

Activity increases at station Trump said was being idled
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 5, 2019 6:30 PM CST
North Korean Test Site Doesn't Look Dismantled Anymore
North Korea's Unha-3 rocket lifts off from the Sohae launching station in Tongchang-ri in 2012.   (AP Photo/KRT via AP Video, File)

After President Trump met with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, he announced that the North Korean dictator seemed to be keeping his promise by dismantling the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. "And we appreciate that," Trump said, per CNN. Now, expert analysis of a satellite image obtained by CNN has found that the site is gearing up again. The increased activity, as well as the presence of a large shipping container not seen until Thursday, could mean that North Korea is getting ready to again test engines used for satellite launchers and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Experts call these tests less threatening than those involving missiles, but they say this could be a move closer to weapons testing.

North Korea also threatened on Thursday to escalate its rhetoric, per the AP. A foreign ministry official warned that insults of Trump will resume and he'll again be referred to as a "dotard" unless he tones down his comments. Calling the dictator "rocket man" and hinting at military action against North Korea are problems, he said. (North Korea warned the US it could expect a Christmas gift unless there's progress in denuclearization talks.)

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