The missile engine test site that U.S. President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had committed to destroy is a major facility in the western part of the country that has been used for testing engines for long-range missiles, according to a U.S. official.
Mr. Trump told reporters after their June 12 summit that Mr. Kim had pledged to dismantle one of his missile installations, which would be North Korea’s most concrete concession at the landmark meeting in Singapore. However, Mr. Trump at the time did not name the site.
A U.S. official identified it on Wednesday as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, saying North Korea “has used this site to test liquid-propellant engines for its long-range ballistic missiles”.
“Chairman Kim promised that North Korea would destroy a missile engine test stand soon,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
No timetable
There was no immediate word on the exact timetable, and North Korea has not publicly confirmed that Mr. Kim made such a commitment. CBS News was the first to identify the site, which is the newest of North Korea’s known major missile testing facilities.
The U.S.-based North Korea monitoring group ‘38 North’ said in an analysis at the end of last week there had been no sign of any activity toward dismantling Sohae or any other missile test site.
What little is known about the Sohae site, located in Tongchang-ri, has been pieced together from analysts’ assessments and the North Korean state news agency KCNA. It was reported to have been established in 2008 and has research facilities nearby for missile development as well as a tower that can support ballistic missiles.
The site is mainly used to test large Paektusan engines built for long-range missiles such as the Hwasong-15.
North Korea has spent considerable effort and resources to develop the Sohae testing site as a “civilian space programme” facility, denying that it has a military application, said Jenny Town, a research analyst at the 38 North.
