Per satellite images between July 20th and July 22nd the North Korean government appeared to be dismantling the Sohae launch site. Showing that Pyongyang is fulfilling the promises North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made to President Trump at the joint summit in Singapore last month.
Images showed that some of the facilities on the site were either razed or taken apart. This included a rocket engine test stand, which is used to develop liquid-fuel engines for ballistic missiles. Another image showed the facility was identified as a space-launch vehicles and a rail mounted processing building.
New commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station indicates that the #DPRK has begun dismantling key facilities, including the rail-mounted processing building and and the nearby rocket engine test stand.https://t.co/ffdQ23QaWG
— 38 North (@38NorthNK) July 23, 2018
“Since these facilities are believed to have played an important role in the development of technologies for the North’s intercontinental ballistic missile program, these efforts represent a significant confidence building measure on the part of North Korea,” analyst Joseph Bermudez wrote in the 38 North report.
Bermudez said the satellite images indicate that Pyongyang took “an important first step toward fulfilling a commitment made by Kim Jong Un.”