North Korea Appears to Expand East Coast Missile Base... Nearby Village Demolished

North Korea appears to be expanding an air defense missile base in Tongchon County, Gangwon Province, NK News Pro, a premium subscription service specializing in North Korea, reported on September 2 local time.

Images of the area near Tongchon County captured by the commercial satellite service Planet Labs show signs that an entire village located north of the base was demolished starting last July to expand the Tongchon missile base.

This village consists of about 100 homes.

Even more homes are being demolished south of the base to construct a new road.

In addition, about 20 apartment buildings are being rapidly constructed to the west of the base, which is presumed to be for residents who lost their homes due to the demolitions, NK Pro reported.

It also added that new factories, hospitals, and apartment buildings are being built along the main roadside in Tongchon formed along the coastline as part of the "20×10" policy, North Korea's regional economic development initiative.

NK Pro explained that the missile base is estimated to house SA-5 surface-to-air missiles (Russian name S-200), which were developed by the former Soviet Union about 60 years ago.

The SA-5 missile was also the type that North Korea fired south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in 2022, which landed in the waters off Sokcho.

Given that the SA-5 missiles are exposed and aging weapons, NK Pro projected that newer weapons could be deployed to the site once the expansion work is completed.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced a plan to modernize all military bases over the next five years during the 9th Workers' Party Congress in February.

(File Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.