North Korea-Focused Outlet "Beyond Parallel" Reports
Signs of Continued Operation at Yongdeok-dong Nuclear Facility Detected
The North Korea-focused media outlet "Beyond Parallel," operated by the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), reported on May 1 (local time) that there are indications the "Yongdeok-dong nuclear facility" in Kusong, North Pyongan Province?a high-explosive test site for nuclear weapons?has remained operational until recently.
Beyond Parallel stated that by comparing satellite imagery taken on January 10 of this year with previous images, it found evidence of new construction and expansion of buildings around the Yongdeok-dong nuclear facility, as well as signs of movement of personnel and vehicles.
The satellite images show new buildings or reinforced existing structures in the explosive storage and manufacturing area, and North Korean military barracks and parade ground personnel are also visible. In the high-explosive test area’s farmland, two small craters resembling explosion pits were detected.
Previously, satellite images of the same facility taken in March 2002 captured 11 explosion craters in similar locations, believed to be the result of high-explosive tests. However, Beyond Parallel explained that it could not definitively confirm whether the recently detected craters were formed by high-explosive detonations or were the result of agricultural activities such as crop cultivation.
The Yongdeok-dong nuclear facility is located 46 kilometers northwest of the Yongbyon nuclear complex. North Korea declared its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003, but it is reported that North Korea has utilized the Yongdeok-dong nuclear facility since joining the NPT in 1985.
High explosives play a crucial role in inducing the nuclear fission reaction of nuclear material in nuclear weapons. Beyond Parallel described the Yongdeok-dong nuclear facility as "the only facility in North Korea currently operating for the design and component testing of nuclear weapon high-explosive detonators."
Previously, in 2015, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense estimated that North Korea had conducted more than 100 tests of high-explosive detonators at this facility. Based on this analysis, Beyond Parallel estimated that the number of high-explosive tests conducted by North Korea has recently increased to around 150.
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