North Korea has started new construction at the country’s main space launch complex in recent days, according to NK News analysis of satellite imagery, as South Korean military authorities said the country’s next military satellite launch doesn’t appear imminent.

ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Lee Sung-jun told reporters at a briefing Monday that the “preparations for additional reconnaissance satellite launches by the North Korean military have been continuously detected, but there are no signs of an imminent [launch].“

“It is difficult to predict when it will happen,” Lee added. 

He also said JCS Chairman Kim Myung-soo was set to meet commander Stephen Whiting of U.S. Space Command in Seoul on Monday to “discuss joint response to North Korean threats and space sector military cooperation.”

Lee made almost identical remarks about the state of DPRK launch preparations around a month ago after ROK defense minister Shin Won-sik said he expected a launch by the end of March.

Shin told reporters earlier this month that the North also appeared ready to launch before the end of April.

The National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) put the country’s first military reconnaissance satellite, named the Malligyong-1, into orbit aboard the Chollima-1 carrier rocket on Nov. 21, and leader Kim Jong Un declared plans to launch three more in 2024. 

NEW CONSTRUCTION

Planet Labs satellite imagery shows construction started on an unidentified installation next to the main launchpad at the Sohae Satellite Launching Center between April 9 and 13. 

Foundations for multiple structures appear to be under construction on the other side of a hill from the launch pad, with a new road leading to the area. Work to clear trees and build the road started at the end of last August but quickly stalled. 

The construction is notable given its proximity to the launchpad that was used for last November’s successful Chollima-1 rocket launch and two failed attempts in May and August last year.

Construction also started in the last week of March on a new building across the water to the north of the launchpad, according to NK News analysis, in an open area that 38 North previously identified as a potential launch viewing stand for VIP guests like Kim Jong Un.

Kim may have used the spot to watch the failed attempts in May and August, but he appeared to use a different, newly constructed observation stand to watch last November’s launch.

The new building could be a more permanent observation stand for Kim and his inner circle, or it could be related to his orders in March 2022 to build “a grandstand in the safe zone opposite to the launching ground” — possibly for a larger group of invited guests.

However, given that previous launches took place without the new facilities, it appears that the latest construction is not necessarily intended to be finished prior to the next launch. 

North Korea announced expected rocket stage drop zones ahead of the three launches last year but steadily decreased its warning time. Pyongyang gave around two days’ notice for the May attempt, around a day and a half for the August attempt, and less than 24 hours for the successful launch in November. 

Meanwhile, work has appeared slow but steady in recent weeks on a large new horizontal rocket assembly building and a tunnel leading from there to the new launchpad. 

The pad, built rapidly last May just before the first launch attempt, features a large shelter that can make it more difficult to observe direct launch preparations like installing the rocket.

Edited by Alannah Hill