WASHINGTON • The missile engine test site that United States President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had committed to destroy is a major facility in the western part of the country that has been used for testing engines for long-range missiles, according to a US official.

Mr Trump told reporters after their June 12 summit that Mr Kim had pledged to dismantle one of his missile installations, which would be North Korea's most concrete concession at the landmark meeting in Singapore. But the President at the time did not name the site.

A US official identified it on Wednesday as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, saying North Korea "has used this site to test liquid-propellant engines for its long-range ballistic missiles". Pyongyang has said its missiles can reach the US.

"Chairman Kim promised that North Korea would destroy a missile engine test stand soon," the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

There was no immediate word on the exact timetable, and North Korea has not publicly confirmed that Mr Kim made such a commitment.

CBS News was the first to identify the site, which is the newest of North Korea's known major missile testing facilities.

Although Mr Trump has hailed the Singapore summit as a success, sceptics have questioned whether he achieved anything, given that Pyongyang has rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament and appeared to make no new tangible commitments in a joint written declaration.

SYMBOLIC MEANING The missile testing is not just done in Tongchang-ri so it does not necessarily mean all ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) will be disabled. But the most well-known one is this, so there is a great symbolic meaning if this is shut down. MR MOON HONG-SIK, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy in South Korea.

US-based North Korea monitoring group 38 North said in an analysis at the end of last week that there had been no sign of any activity towards dismantling Sohae or any other missile test site.

The US official said: "The United States will continue to monitor this site closely as we move forward in our negotiations."

What little is known about the Sohae site, located in Tongchang-ri, has been pieced together from analysts'assessments and North Korean state news agency KCNA's reports.

It was reported to have been established in 2008 and has research facilities nearby for missile development as well as a tower that can support ballistic missiles. The site is mainly used to test large Paektusan engines built for long-range missiles such as the Hwasong-15.

North Korea has spent considerable effort and resources to develop the site as a "civilian space programme" facility, denying that it has a military application, said Ms Jenny Town, a research analyst at 38 North. "Presumably, if North Korea does destroy the Sohae facility, they are also signalling that they are willing to stop satellite or rocket launches this time around as well, a point that has derailed negotiations in the past and is a significant new development," she said.

North Korea has other missile testing facilities but the shutdown, if it happens, would be significant, analysts said.

"The missile testing is not just done in Tongchang-ri so it does not necessarily mean all ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) will be disabled. But the most well-known one is this, so there is a great symbolic meaning if this is shut down," said Mr Moon Hong-sik, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy in South Korea.

North Korea announced ahead of the Singapore summit the suspension of its ICBM testing and also closed its nuclear bomb test site. US officials, however, have cautioned that such actions are reversible.

Asked on Wednesday whether North Korea has done anything towards denuclearisation since the summit, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said the denuclearisation pledge was the "very front end of a process".

"The detailed negotiations have not begun. I wouldn't expect that at this point."

REUTERS

SEE OPINION</s>US identifies North Korea missile test site it says Kim committed to destroy

WASHINGTON: The missile engine test site that President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had committed to destroy is a major facility in the western part of the country that has been used for testing engines for long-range missiles, according to a US official.

Trump told reporters after their June 12 summit that Kim had pledged to dismantle one of his missile installations, which would be North Korea’s most concrete concession at the landmark meeting in Singapore. However, the president at the time did not name the site.

A US official identified it on Wednesday as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, saying North Korea “has used this site to test liquid-propellant engines for its long-range ballistic missiles.” Pyongyang has said its missiles can reach the United States.

“Chairman Kim promised that North Korea would destroy a missile engine test stand soon,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate word on the exact timetable, and North Korea has not publicly confirmed that Kim made such a commitment.

CBS News was the first to identify the site, which is the newest of North Korea’s known major missile testing facilities.

Although Trump has hailed the Singapore summit as a success, skeptics have questioned whether he achieved anything, given that Pyongyang, which has rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, appeared to make no new tangible commitments in a joint written declaration.

The U.S.-based North Korea monitoring group 38 North said in an analysis at the end of last week there had been no sign of any activity toward dismantling Sohae or any other missile test site.

The U.S. official said: “The United States will continue to monitor this site closely as we move forward in our negotiations.”

What little is known about the Sohae site, located in Tongchang-ri, has been pieced together

It was reported to have been established in 2008 and has research facilities nearby for missile development as well as a tower that can support ballistic missiles. The site is mainly used to test large Paektusan engines built for long-range missiles such as the Hwasong-15.

North Korea has other missile testing facilities but the shutdown, if it happens, would be significant, analysts said.

“The missile testing is not just done in Tongchang-ri so it does not necessarily mean all ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) will be disabled. But the most well-known one is this, so there is a great symbolic meaning if this is shut down,” said Moon Hong-sik, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy in South Korea.

North Korea announced ahead of the Singapore summit the suspension of its ICBM testing and also closed its nuclear bomb test site. U.S. officials, however, have cautioned that such actions are reversible.

Asked on Wednesday whether North Korea has done anything toward denuclearization since the summit, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters: “No, I’m not aware of that. I mean, obviously, it’s the very front end of a process. The detailed negotiations have not begun. I wouldn’t expect that at this point.”

Yang Uk, senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum, agreed that a shutdown of the Sohae testing site would be a symbolic gesture rather than a move to technically disable its missile capabilities.

“Sohae has technically been used as an ‘engine’ testing site. North Korea has already finished developing (the) Baekdu Engine, so there would be no problem running ICBM missile programs even if they close down the Sohae site,” Yang said.

“If North Korea comes up with a ‘big deal’, it would be something like getting one of the ICBMs out of the country to a third country, talk about the procedures for disassembling the missiles, or actually showing Pompeo to the missile facility and say to his face that they will get rid of it.”</s>The missile engine test site that President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had committed to destroy is a major facility in the western part of the country that has been used for testing engines for long-range missiles, according to a U.S. official.

Trump told reporters after their June 12 summit that Kim had pledged to dismantle one of his missile installations, which would be North Korea’s most concrete concession at the landmark meeting in Singapore.

ALSO READ: Trump says North Korea has returned remains of 200 U.S. war dead

However, the president at the time did not name the site.

A U.S. official identified it on Wednesday as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, saying North Korea “has used this site to test liquid-propellant engines for its long-range ballistic missiles.”

Pyongyang has said its missiles can reach the United States.

“Chairman Kim promised that North Korea would destroy a missile engine test stand soon,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Avoid fake news! Subscribe to the Standard SMS service and receive factual, verified breaking news as it happens. Text the word 'NEWS' to 22840

There was no immediate word on the exact timetable, and North Korea has not publicly confirmed that Kim made such a commitment.

CBS News was the first to identify the site, which is the newest of North Korea’s known major missile testing facilities.

Although Trump has hailed the Singapore summit as a success, skeptics have questioned whether he achieved anything, given that Pyongyang, which has rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, appeared to make no new tangible commitments in a joint written declaration.

The U.S.-based North Korea monitoring group 38 North said in an analysis at the end of last week there had been no sign of any activity toward dismantling Sohae or any other missile test site.

ALSO READ: New York to sue Trump over family border separations: governor

The U.S. official said: “The United States will continue to monitor this site closely as we move forward in our negotiations.”</s>The missile engine test site that President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had committed to destroy is a major facility in the western part of the country that has been used for testing engines for long-range missiles, according to a US official.

Trump told reporters after their June 12 summit that Kim had pledged to dismantle one of his missile installations, which would be North Korea’s most concrete concession at the landmark meeting in Singapore.

However, the president at the time did not name the site.

A US official identified it on Wednesday as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, saying North Korea “has used this site to test liquid-propellant engines for its long-range ballistic missiles.”

Pyongyang has said its missiles can reach the United States.

“Chairman Kim promised that North Korea would destroy a missile engine test stand soon,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

There was no immediate word on the exact timetable, and North Korea has not publicly confirmed that Kim made such a commitment.

CBS News was the first to identify the site, which is the newest of North Korea’s known major missile testing facilities.

Although Trump has hailed the Singapore summit as a success, skeptics have questioned whether he achieved anything, given that Pyongyang, which has rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, appeared to make no new tangible commitments in a joint written declaration.</s>FILE PHOTO: A North Korean long-range rocket is launched into the air at the Sohae rocket launch site, North Korea Thomson Reuters By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The missile engine test site that President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had committed to destroy is a major facility in the western part of the country that has been used for testing engines for long-range missiles, according to a U.S. official.

Trump told reporters after their June 12 summit that Kim had pledged to dismantle one of his missile installations, which would be North Korea's most concrete concession at the landmark meeting in Singapore. But the president at the time did not name the site.

A U.S. official on Wednesday identified it as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, saying North Korea "has used this site to test liquid-propellant engines for its long-range ballistic missiles." Pyongyang has said its missiles can reach the United States.

"Chairman Kim promised that North Korea would destroy a missile engine test stand soon," the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. There was no immediate word on the exact timetable, and North Korea has not publicly confirmed that Kim made such a commitment.

CBS News was the first to identify the site, which is the newest of North Korea's known major missile testing facilities.

Although Trump has hailed the Singapore summit as a success, skeptics have questioned whether he achieved anything, given that Pyongyang, which has rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, appeared to make no new tangible commitments in a joint written declaration.

The U.S.-based North Korea monitoring group 38 North said in an analysis at the end of last week that there had been no sign of any activity toward dismantling Sohae or any other missile test site.

"The United States will continue to monitor this site closely as we move forward in our negotiations," the U.S. official said.

What little is known about the Sohae site, located in Tongchang-ri, has been pieced together from analysts' assessments and the North Korean state news agency KCNA.

It was reported to have been established in 2008 and has research facilities nearby for missile development as well as a tower that can support ballistic missiles. The site is mainly used to test large Paektusan engines built for long-range missiles such as the Hwasong-15.

Ahead of the summit, North Korea announced the suspension of its testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles and also closed its nuclear bomb test site. U.S. officials, however, have cautioned that such actions are reversible.

Asked on Wednesday whether North Korea has done anything toward denuclearization since the summit, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters: "No, I'm not aware of that. I mean, obviously, it's the very front end of a process. The detailed negotiations have not begun. I wouldn't expect that at this point."</s>Deb Riechmann and Matthew Pennington, The Associated Press 

 



WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has identified the missile test engine site that it says North Korea has pledged to destroy.

After his summit with Kim Jong Un, U.S. President Donald Trump said the North Korean leader was "already destroying" a missile site, in addition to committing to "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.

An administration official revealed Thursday that the testing site in question is in North Pyongan province, and is sometimes is referred to as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground.

The official was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

The official would not answer questions about whether the site was already being destroyed, but said the administration would continue to monitor it as negotiations move forward.</s>The Trump administration on Thursday identified the missile test engine site that it says North Korea has pledged to destroy, but the president's latest comments about resolving the nuclear standoff have raised new questions about what concessions Pyongyang has made.

President Donald Trump had said on June 12 after his summit with Kim Jong Un that the North Korean leader was "already destroying" a missile site, in addition to committing to "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.

The testing site in question is in Ch'olsan County, North Pyongan province, and is sometimes is referred to as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, according to an administration official. The official, who wasn't authorized to discuss the issue publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity, would not answer questions about whether the site was already being destroyed, but said that as negotiations moved forward, the administration would continue to monitor the area where North Korea tested liquid propellant engines for long-range ballistic missiles.

North Korea conducted satellite launches into space from Sohae in 2012 and 2016, drawing international condemnation as the rocket technology used could be adapted for use with ballistic missiles. There are also facilities there for testing missile engines. Commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae station from June 12 shows no apparent activity related to dismantlement of its rocket engine test stand, according to 38 North, a Washington-based website that tracks developments in the isolated nation's weapons programs.

Trump boasted at a Cabinet meeting Thursday that his administration has had "tremendous success" with North Korea, adding that denuclearization had already begun.

The president's comments, however, ran counter to remarks Defense Secretary James Mattis made the day before. Mattis told reporters Wednesday that he wasn't aware that North Korea had taken any steps yet toward denuclearization. "I'm not aware of any. Obviously, we're at the very front end of the process. Detailed negotiations have not begun," he said.

Trump said Kim has stopped testing missiles, including ballistic missiles that could reach the United States, and is destroying the engine testing site — an apparent reference to Sohae. "They're blowing it up," he said.

Researchers are debating the significance of that promise.

It will depend on which facilities it destroyed at Sohae — one of several sites that have been used for the development of the North's ballistic missiles, said Jenny Town, a research analyst on North Korea at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington.

"If it's just the engine test stand at Sohae that will be dismantled, diplomatically it has value but it doesn't really change North Korea's ability to test more engines if they chose to do so at a different facility," Town said.

"If they were dismantling more facilities at Sohae, such as the launch pad itself, that would be a very big development, as Sohae is their main satellite launch facility. It could signal North Korea is willing to include a moratorium on satellite launches in addition to their missile and nuclear tests, which has been a point of contention in past agreements and derailed negotiations in the past. But this is obviously a big if."

At the Cabinet meeting, Trump also referenced other concessions North Korea has supposedly made: "They've already blown up one of their big test sites. In fact, it was actually four of their big test sites," he said.

Trump undoubtedly was referencing North Korea's demolition in late May of a nuclear test site at Punggye-ri in a remote area in the northeastern part of the country. But it's unclear what Trump meant when he went on to say "it was actually four of their big test sites."

Punggye-ri was built with multiple tunnels suitable for nuclear testing. During the demolition, a group of journalists, including from The Associated Press, witnessed a series of huge explosions that centered on entrances to three tunnels. The explosions caused landslides near the tunnel entrances and sent up clouds of smoke and dust.</s>The missile engine test site that President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had committed to destroy is a major facility in the western part of the country that has been used for testing engines for long-range missiles, according to a U.S. official.

Trump told reporters after their June 12 summit that Kim had pledged to dismantle one of his missile installations, which would be North Korea’s most concrete concession at the landmark meeting in Singapore.

However, the president at the time did not name the site.

A U.S. official identified it Wednesday as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, saying North Korea “has used this site to test liquid-propellant engines for its long-range ballistic missiles.”

Pyongyang has said its missiles can reach the United States.

Chairman Kim promised that North Korea would destroy a missile engine test stand soon,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

​There was no immediate word on the exact timetable, and North Korea has not publicly confirmed that Kim made such a commitment.

CBS News was the first to identify the site, which is the newest of North Korea’s known major missile testing facilities.

Although Trump has hailed the Singapore summit as a success, skeptics have questioned whether he achieved anything, given that Pyongyang, which has rejected unilateral nuclear disarmament, appeared to make no new tangible commitments in a joint written declaration.

The U.S.-based North Korea monitoring group 38 North said in an analysis at the end of last week there had been no sign of any activity toward dismantling Sohae or any other missile test site.

The U.S. official said: “The United States will continue to monitor this site closely as we move forward in our negotiations.”

What little is known about the Sohae site, located in Tongchang-ri, has been pieced together from analysts’ assessments and the North Korean state news agency KCNA.

It was reported to have been established in 2008 and has research facilities nearby for missile development as well as a tower that can support ballistic missiles. The site is mainly used to test large Paektusan engines built for long-range missiles such as the Hwasong-15.

North Korea has spent considerable effort and resources to develop the site as a “civilian space program” facility, denying that it has a military application, said Jenny Town, a research analyst at the 38 North.

“Presumably, if North Korea does destroy the Sohae facility, they are also signaling that they are willing to stop satellite/rocket launches this time around as well, a point that has derailed negotiations in the past and is a significant new development,” she said.

North Korea has other missile testing facilities but the shutdown, if it happens, would be significant, analysts said.

“The missile testing is not just done in Tongchang-ri so it does not necessarily mean all ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) will be disabled. But the most well-known one is this, so there is a great symbolic meaning if this is shut down,” said Moon Hong-sik, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy in South Korea.

North Korea announced ahead of the Singapore summit the suspension of its ICBM testing and also closed its nuclear bomb test site. U.S. officials, however, have cautioned that such actions are reversible.

Asked on Wednesday whether North Korea has done anything toward denuclearization since the summit, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters: “No, I’m not aware of that. I mean, obviously, it’s the very front end of a process. The detailed negotiations have not begun. I wouldn’t expect that at this point.”

Yang Uk, senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum, agreed that a shutdown of the Sohae testing site would be a symbolic gesture rather than a move to technically disable its missile capabilities.

“Sohae has technically been used as an ‘engine’ testing site. North Korea has already finished developing (the) Baekdu Engine, so there would be no problem running ICBM missile programs even if they close down the Sohae site,” Yang said.

The move will only be significant if North Korea takes more than cosmetic steps to fully shutter the site, not just the test stand, said Melissa Hanham, a senior research associate at the James martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

“It’s only a good deal if they dismantle all the facilities at Sohae and re-employ the scientists in something civilian,” she said.</s>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has committed to the U.S. that North Korea will destroy the Ch'olsan County, North Pyongan province testing site, which sometimes is referred to as the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, CBS News reports. This agreement was made when President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in Singapore earlier this month, administration officials confirmed. This is the missile test engine site that Trump had mentioned after their meeting, though at the time he did not name it.

North Korea has used the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground to test liquid propellant engines for its long range ballistic missiles. Experts also say that this site is believed to be where the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, which can target the U.S. mainland, was developed. This rocket engine test facility can be used for space launch and IBCM launching which are the delivery mechanism for nuclear weapons. Bob Carlin, a former North Korea intelligence adviser for the State Department North Korea, tells CBS News it is significant that the North is destroying this testing site because it is one of the largest in the country.

At the summit, Kim promised that North Korea would destroy a missile engine test stand "soon," according to administration officials. But there is still no set timeline for the demolition that the White House is willing to publicly reveal.

"The United States will continue to monitor this site closely as we move forward in our negotiations," said a senior administration official.

The disclosure of this site, along with the confirmation that North Korea will be returning the remains of the about 250 POWs who could be American service members from North Korea, demonstrate that portions of the discussions at the Singapore summit are being acted upon.

Working-level officials charged with carrying out commitments made at the summit have not have the easiest time planning the way forward because the agreements were made at the top levels. The Trump administration's approach is "flipping the whole thing on its head," said one official. Traditionally, it is the working level where negotiations begin and agreements are made before they are escalated to the higher levels. This was not the way U.S.-North Korea negotiations have so far played out between Mr. Trump and Kim. And now, the process is not being filtered down to all working levels. Some officials are frustrated, though others say that this may still have been the better approach in the long run.

"These things are always much better, and much more productive, if they are top-down," said a State department official.

Meanwhile, as the administration works to shape the way forward with the North Korea negotiations, there are frustrations on the hill that Pompeo has not yet briefed lawmakers on the Singapore summit.

The Pentagon is also being left out of the loop on North Korea. One source tells CBS News the Defense Department is essentially in "receipt mode." It is not playing a major role in the policy moves that are being made right now on North Korea. There was a "vortex" in the building when Trump announced the U.S.-SK joint exercise halt, which CBS News' David Martin reported earlier this month. One thing to note here is that Pompeo's DOD liaison had not yet started traveling with the him when the Singapore trip took place. That person will start soon, but it makes communications lapses more common when that staffer is not in place. But officials note that Pompeo or anyone from the White House could also have phoned the Pentagon, too.</s>The missile engine test site that President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had committed to destroy is a major facility in the western part of the country that has been used for testing engines for long-range missiles, according to a U.S. official.

Trump told reporters after their June 12 summit that Kim had pledged to dismantle one of his missile installations, which would be North Korea’s most concrete concession at the landmark meeting in Singapore.

However, the president at the time did not name the site.
The United States announces that North Korea will destroy the Sohae Satellite Launching Station missile test site.