North Korea completed secret base for missiles, says US think-tank

North Korea continues to bolster its defenses in its recent test launches of weapons. A US think-tank says that Pyongyang has completed building a secret base to store their missiles.

A US think-tank, the US Center for Strategic and International Studies, says that North Korea has built a secret missile operating base near its border with China. The base is likely intended to store the nation’s long-range ballistic missiles, Al Jazeera reports. The think-tank released a report Monday, identifying the Hoejung-ni missile operating base from satellite images.

The base that was discovered is one of around 20 missile operating bases that North Korea has yet to disclose, according to the think-tank. The base is at a small, isolated, wooded mountain valley in Chagang province, around 25 kilometers from the nation’s border with China. CSIS also cited that North Korea recently tested its Hwasong-12 missile from Chagang, where the Hoejung-ni base is.

“The Hoejung-ni missile operating base will, according to informed sources, likely house a regiment-sized unit equipped with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs),” said the report.

“Should operational ICBMs not become available in the near term, it is likely that intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) will be deployed,” the report went on to say.

Pyongyang has said that the Hwasong-12 missile can carry a nuclear warhead and can reach the US territory of Guam. CSIS has estimated that the missile has a range of 4,500 kilometers. The launch of the missile marks the seventh test launch by North Korea and also marked the first time Pyongyang has tested a missile of that kind since 2017.

Meanwhile, North Korea’s Parliament has committed to developing the nation’s economy and improving the livelihood of its citizens amidst the challenges posed by international sanctions and the ongoing pandemic, according to state media Tuesday.

State media outlet KCNA reported that the Supreme People’s Assembly, or SPA, gathered on February 6 and 7 to discuss cabinet work and government budgets, while adopting new laws on childcare and protection of overseas residents. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was not present as SPA standing committee chair Choe Ryong Hae presided over the meeting.