Report shows Pyongyang may be rebuilding missile site
Prospects for post-Hanoi denuclearization talks are not looking up. The latest U.S. media reports are suggesting North Korea may have begun to rebuild parts of a missile test site it had started to dismantle last year.
U.S. think tanks reported earlier this week that they had detected steps to restore the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in satellite images taken of Tongchang-ri, North Korea. The images released Tuesday show the test stand superstructure being rebuilt after remaining partially dismantled since early August 2018.
South Korean intelligence sources also mentioned similar information during a recent National Assembly hearing, triggering concerns Pyongyang may be going back to its old brinksmanship after the collapse of the second U.S.-North Korea summit last week in Hanoi, Vietnam.
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shocked the world by walking away without signing any declaration to build on their first summit in June 2018 in Singapore where they produced a vague agreement to work toward North Korea's denuclearization.
The two leaders reportedly parted ways amicably, but the stunning collapse of the summit underlined the impossible gap between the two countries' positions on how to proceed with denuclearization. Kim focused on getting rid of the international sanctions that were straining his country's economy, while Trump demanded more concrete steps from Pyongyang to ultimately end its nuclear weapons program.
It is uncertain when North Korea started rebuilding the site. If this has been started after the Hanoi summit, it could be seen as Kim's attempt to pressure the U.S. to meet its demands. But it is too early to tell exactly what Pyongyang's intention is.
When faced with questions from the media about this, Trump also seemed cautious, although he said that he would be disappointed in Kim if the rebuilding of the missile site was actually taking place. "It's a very early report," he said during a meeting at the White House, Wednesday. "We'll take a look. It'll ultimately get solved."
The report has added to widespread concerns that Pyongyang is not serious about denuclearization. Other recent reports have shown that Pyongyang has still been running uranium enrichment facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex even before the Hanoi summit.
Amid reports that North Korea may appear to be rebuilding the missile test site, the U.S. has warned of tougher sanctions. In an interview with the Fox Business Network, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton signaled tougher sanctions if North Korea was not willing to fully denuclearize.
The last thing anyone wants to see at this point is for Kim to return to his brinkmanship. He must remember that going back on his promise to denuclearize will only bring disastrous results for his country and its people.
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