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CSIS Identifies Undeclared North Korean ICBM Base Near China Border

The Sinpung-dong complex likely hosts a brigade with six to nine mobile, nuclear-capable missiles designed for dispersal to pre-surveyed launch sites.

A satellite image provided by Planet Labs shows the Sinpung Dong Missile Operating Base in North Korea on August 12.
Sinpung-dong Missile Operating Base is an undeclared ballistic missile operating base in North Pyongan Province.
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Overview

  • Beyond Parallel at CSIS publicly identified the undeclared Sinpung-dong missile base roughly 27 kilometers from China, calling it the first open-source confirmation of the facility.
  • CSIS assesses a brigade-sized force with six to nine nuclear-capable ICBMs and mobile launchers is stationed there, posing a potential nuclear threat to East Asia and the continental United States.
  • Analysts say the exact missile types are unconfirmed, with evidence pointing to Hwasong-15, Hwasong-18 or a yet-to-be-revealed ICBM, and there is no public confirmation that warheads are mounted at the site.
  • Satellite imagery shows a hardened, approximately 22-square-kilometer complex with underground entrances and drive-through checkout bays built from around 2004 and operational by 2014, with continuing development noted.
  • CSIS reports the unit would disperse to meet warhead transport teams and launch from pre-surveyed locations during a crisis, placing the base within a network of 15–20 undeclared missile and warhead facilities that South Korea says it is monitoring.