US monitor unveils undeclared NK missile base likely housing nuclear-capable ICBMs

WASHINGTON — North Korea has an undeclared ballistic missile operating base near its border with China, which likely possesses intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the continental United States, a U.S. monitor confirmed Wednesday. Beyond Parallel, a project of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, unveiled the Sinpung-dong Missile Operating Base in North Pyongan Province, about 25 kilometers from the border with China, as it released its analysis of satellite imagery taken July 11. It marks the first open-source study confirming the base, according to the monitor. "Preliminary analysis suggests that the base likely houses a brigade-sized unit equipped with a total of six to nine nuclear capable Hwasong-15 or -18 ICBMs, or an as yet unknown ICBM, and their transporter-erector-launchers (TEL) or mobile-erector-launchers (MEL)," it said in a report posted on its website. "These missiles pose a potential nuclear threat to East Asia and the continental United States," it added. Hwasong-15 and 18 ICBMs are known to be liquid-fuel and sWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times