Kim Jong Un is reportedly upgrading several missile factories in support of Vladimir Putin, as well as to arm himself against a strengthening U.S.-led alliance in East Asia.
According to NK Pro analysis of satellite images from inside North Korea, the country is upgrading several of its missile production facilities.
One of these is the Sinuiju Measuring Instrument Factory, located only a few miles from the Chinese border town of Dandong.
Kim Jong Un visited this complex last September, and inspected the production of non-line-of-sight anti-tank guided missiles, according to NK Pro, citing the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
Images show three buildings that were demolished earlier this year, replaced by new structures in July resembling the production halls visited by Kim.
One expert told NK Pro that, of Pyongyang’s arsenal, the guided missiles produced at the factory would be “by far the most attractive to Russia.”
North Korea and Russia have deepened their military ties over the past few years, and Pyonyang has been accused of supplying the country with missiles and artillery shells to support its invasion of Ukraine.
In May, the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office reported that debris found on the battlefield originated from North Korean ballistic missiles, approximately half of which were believed to have malfunctioned.
NK Pro’s analysis also identified four additional factories, suspected of producing missiles and small arms, that have undergone construction.
“The findings emphasize leader Kim Jong Un‘s priority on developing close-range combat systems in addition to the more prominently promoted long-range nuclear weapons,” NK Pro said.
Sang Hun Seok is a fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, who previously served for over ten years as a diplomat for South Korea’s foreign service.
Sang told Newsweek that, while the need to increase arms shipments to Russia is at play, the reported increase in missile production capabilities was “a continuation of North Korea’s constant efforts to maintain and increase its weapons production capability.”
“The North has never given up its intention to take a hostile stance toward the United States and South Korea, as it forms part of its raison d’être,” Sang said, adding that Kim was eager to source the necessary means to fend of the “Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance.”
In late June, the U.S., South Korea and Japan took part a “multi-domain exercise” on the Korean Peninsula, which focused on missile defense, anti-submarine warfare and defensive cyber training.
The exercise was intended “to promote trilateral interoperability and protect freedom for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula,” according to a statement released by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry decried the operation, and warned that the “reckless and provocative” actions of the three countries would result in “fatal consequences.”
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
