North Korea has a secret, previously unreported missile base near its northern border with China, which could pose a “potential nuclear threat” to much of East Asia and the United States, according to a new report released Wednesday.
The Sinpung-dong missile base is located just 27 kilometers (about 17 miles) from the China border. It’s believed to store up to nine nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) as well as their mobile launchers, said the report by Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The site is one of the estimated 15 to 20 ballistic missile bases and warhead storage facilities that North Korea has never declared, said the report, which drew from satellite image analysis, interviews with North Korean refugees and officials, declassified documents and open-source data.
“These missiles pose a potential nuclear threat to East Asia and the continental United States,” the report warned.
North Korea has ramped up its weapons program in the last few years under leader Kim Jong Un, rapidly modernizing its armed forces, developing new weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach almost anywhere in the United States.
