New satellite images reveal North Korea took recent steps to conceal nuclear weapons site
New
satellite images taken by Maxar show that North Korea sometime in the
past year built a structure that may be intended to obscure entrances to
an underground facility where nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons
components are stored.
Washington (CNN)New satellite imagery obtained by CNN reveals North Korea has recently taken steps to conceal a facility US intelligence agencies believe is being used to store nuclear weapons, a move that could add to the growing sense of urgency from critics who argue the Biden administration needs to articulate a clear strategy on how it will deal with Kim Jong Un going forward.
The
image, captured by Maxar on February 11 and analyzed by experts at the
Middlebury Institute, shows North Korea built new structures at its
Yongdoktong site over the course of 2020 -- an effort researchers say is
likely intended to obscure a pair of underground tunnel entrances that
lead to the facility where nuclear weapons are stored.
"Images
released by Maxar show the pair of tunnel entrances as late as December
2019 and a new building-like structure visible by February 2021,"
according to Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute of
International Studies, which specializes in open-source intelligence.
Yongdoktong
has been previously identified by US intelligence as a suspected North
Korean nuclear weapons storage facility and is still believed to be used
for that purpose, a US intelligence official told CNN.
Tunnel entrances seen on December 5, 2019.
New structure over tunnel entrance on February 11, 2021
The
satellite images obtained by CNN reaffirm what has been widely known
among US national security officials and experts for years: North Korea continues to actively develop nuclear weapons at sites around the country while taking further steps toward hiding the stockpile it has already accumulated.
Recent
construction at the site will certainly catch the attention of US
intelligence agencies as they carefully monitor sites suspected to be
part of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, according to two former
intelligence officials and congressional lawmakers.
Lawmakers
and key US allies are eagerly awaiting details about President Joe
Biden's North Korea policy, which they expect will be announced publicly
in the coming weeks when the administration has completed a policy
review, according to multiple sources familiar with the internal
discussions.
The
clear evidence North Korea's nuclear program is continuing adds to the
urgency of the situation, with critics arguing that a policy review that
goes on for too long risks developments occurring that will further
complicate achieving the administration's goal of denuclearization.
"No
matter how comical the effort, North Korea continues to upgrade its
nuclear weapons facilities and makes efforts to conceal them," Lewis
said, referring to the fact that US intelligence agencies have been
watching the site for years.
The
Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Pentagon,
citing intelligence matters, declined to comment. The State Department
did not respond to CNN's request for comment on the new imagery.
Biden mulls options as North Korea employs 'deception and denial'
Beyond
stressing a commitment to work alongside regional allies, the Biden
administration has said little about its plans for engaging with North
Korea during its first weeks in office, with top officials only offering
vague statements reaffirming the US commitment to "denuclearization"
but offering few specifics.
"The
President's view is --- without question that North Korea's nuclear
ballistic missile and other proliferation related activities constitutes
serious threat to the international peace and security of the world and
undermine the global non-proliferation regime," said White House
spokesperson Jen Psaki last month.
Rep.
Andy Kim and other former US officials told CNN that they hope the
Biden administration moves quickly to engage with North Korea before
they conduct another missile test or take other provocative steps later
this year that may make diplomacy more difficult.
"I
think there's an opportunity for us to really push on a number of
fronts ... and not just have everything live or die based off of
denuclearization. I think that if we go down that route again, we will
be hit with the same problems that we've had time and time again. I do
hope the Biden team takes a different tack this point," Kim, a
Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services
committees, told CNN in a recent interview.
Rep.
Adam Kinzinger, a Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, said he still believes the Biden administration should
continue to work towards a "nuclear-free North Korea" but acknowledged
there are no easy answers as far as how to pursue that goal.
"Deposing
Kim Jong Un is not realistic right now and it shouldn't be our state of
policy. Korean reunification is probably not very realistic, so how do
we prevent a nuclear war from breaking out or North Korea from using
their supposed of nuclear capability as a way for leverage," he told
CNN.
Close up view of building over tunnel entrances. February 11, 2021
Close up view of tunnel entrances before shelter. November 16, 2019
The
timing of the movements at Yongdoktong is noteworthy but requires some
examination because North Korea's actions can never be taken at face
value, said a former senior US intelligence official. If North Korea is
seeking to speed up engagement with the Biden administration and does
not want to use a provocation like a missile test this move could be
undertaken to catch the attention of the US.
Former
intelligence officials say recent efforts to obscure the view of
American spy satellites could be intended to remind the Biden
administration that work on these programs continues even as the White
House deliberates on a diplomatic path forward.
North
Korea's tactic to try to use "deception and denial" is not something
new, one former official explained. North Koreans are known to use the
tactic to draw US attention to a matter, allow miscalculation, and deny
that they are doing it.
Biden team looks to increase pressure and use diplomacy
While
the details of Biden's plan for North Korea are being developed by the
administration, the White House is not counting out the possibility of
direct engagement down the line.
Trump
broke the mold when it comes to broaching the intractable challenge of
North Korea. Instead of working in lockstep with US allies in the
region, he prioritized developing a personal bond with Kim Jong Un. The
leaders exchanged frequent letters and met in person three times. Yet,
despite this unprecedented engagement, North Korea is more dangerous
today than it was when Trump took office.
As
Biden's national security team begins to develop their North Korea
policy, they will face the challenge of shaping a nuanced approach that
rejuvenates a commitment to allies, avoids simply reverting back to the
pre-Trump North Korea strategy characterized as "strategic patience"
during the Obama administration, and can produce results on the ultimate
goal of denuclearization.
Secretary
of State Tony Blinken said the administration will both consider how to
increase pressure on Pyongyang and how to draw them in with diplomacy,
adding that nothing can be done without consulting with allies.
"We
intend to review the entire approach in policy toward North Korea,
because this is a hard problem that has plagued administration after
administration after administration and it's a problem that has not
gotten better. In fact, it's gotten worst," Blinken said during his
confirmation hearing. He added that they will look at options "that can
be effective in terms of increasing pressure on North Korea to come to
the negotiating table as well as what other diplomatic initiatives may
be possible."
Anthony
Ruggiero, who previously served as the National Security Council
Director for North Korea during the Trump administration, also said he
believes the Biden administration can use sanctions as leverage for
negotiations.
"Sanctions
need to be at a level where it can provide leverage for negotiations.
The sanctions toward the end of the Trump administration on North Korea
were sporadic at best, and in some cases non-existent, so they do need
to spend some time rebuilding some more of the pressure to allow
productive negotiations," according to Ruggiero, who is currently a
senior fellow at the Washington-based think-tank Foundation for Defense
of Democracies.
The
Biden administration is also expected to begin publicly speaking out
against any future North Korean provocations unlike the approach in the
latter part of the Trump administration, current and former
administration officials tell CNN.
Provocations
from North Korea, which traditionally mark the beginning of every
administration, could be delayed due to the pandemic, former US
officials told incoming Biden officials during transition meetings. They
believe that the pandemic has put North Korea in a delicate position
where it cannot afford further sanctions and cannot engage in diplomacy.
But
Kim Jong Un hates being out of the spotlight and it is likely that he
will want to test the incoming team, making it virtually impossible to
predict how the despot will act in the early days of Biden presidency.
Some
North Korea experts believe that the Biden administration should send a
direct signal to North Korea to demonstrate willingness to engage,
sooner rather than later.
"It
is a moment of opportunity," said Gen. Vincent Brooks, a retired US
Army general who commanded United States Forces Korea during the Trump
administration. "I hope they will seek communication early on. It may
begin through backchannels first but there must be a conduit of
communication directly to Kim Jong Un."
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