Construction Near Former Nuclear Missile Base
Concerns Over Transfer of Key Rocket Technology to North Korea
As North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un visits Russia by a special train, attention is focused on the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia, where he is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The facility is known as the center of Russia's new space program and recently launched a lunar probe. There is speculation that during their inspection of the site, Kim may receive key space technology from Russia in exchange for supplying weapons and ammunition.
Putin: "I plan to visit Vostochny"... Kim Jong-un's train continues northward
According to Russia's TASS news agency on the 12th (local time), President Putin stated at a press conference held during the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, "I plan to visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome," adding, "You will know when I go there." However, he did not directly mention Chairman Kim in relation to this visit.
Following Putin's announcement of his visit to the Vostochny Cosmodrome, foreign media inside and outside Russia expect that President Putin will meet Chairman Kim at the site, and it is reported that a significant number of journalists have been deployed there.
The special train carrying Chairman Kim Jong-un is continuing northward beyond Vladivostok, which was initially considered a likely destination. Accordingly, the possibility of the two leaders meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome is considered high. Vostochny is about 1,500 km from Vladivostok, and Kim's special train, moving at less than 50 km/h, is expected to arrive at Vostochny after noon on the same day.
The Vostochny Cosmodrome, where a meeting between Chairman Kim and President Putin is anticipated, was newly established by Russia in 2012, covering an area of over 550 square kilometers. It is more than 100 times larger than the approximately 5 square kilometer Naro Space Center. Since 2016, most of Russia's space launches have been conducted from this site.
Located deep inland in the Amur Oblast's Tsiolkovsky area of Russia's Primorsky Krai, the site is near Svobodny, where a nuclear missile base was previously located. Alongside the large-scale space facility, a residential area capable of housing about 25,000 residents has been developed. In August, Russia's lunar probe Luna-25 was also launched from here.
During the Soviet era, the Baikonur Cosmodrome was Russia's largest space facility, but after the Soviet Union's collapse, it became part of Kazakhstan's territory. Russia now leases the site, which led to the need for a separate spaceport, resulting in the establishment of the Vostochny Cosmodrome. In the future, various new rocket developments and satellite and rocket launches for constructing a manned lunar base are expected to be primarily conducted here.
It is known that Chairman Kim strongly wished to inspect this site during his visit to Russia. Previously, North Korea aimed to launch reconnaissance satellites as one of its five key national defense tasks, but after two failed satellite launches this year, securing technology has become a top priority.
Consequently, there are concerns that North Korea may receive critical rocket technology from Russia in exchange for supplying weapons and ammunition during this summit. It is also reported that Park Tae-sung, Chairman of the National Emergency Space Science and Technology Committee, who oversees military reconnaissance satellite development in North Korea, is part of the delegation accompanying Kim, drawing further attention to the possibility of actual technology transfer.
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