Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans On Friday, March 4, North Korea showed off a new “large-caliber” artillery rocket system. In this context, large-caliber probably means between 300-400 mm. North Korea appears to have tested the system from its coastal test range at Wonsan, with the projectiles…
The New UNSC Sanctions Resolution on North Korea: A Deep Dive Assessment
Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans UN Security Council Resolution 2270, passed on March 2, 2016, substantially shifts the multilateral sanctions regime on North Korea. It not only bolsters existing provisions, but also moves beyond sanctions that rest on determinations that a proscribed activity has taken place,…
Is North Korea Preparing for a Fifth Nuclear Test?
Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans A 38 North exclusive with analysis by Jack Liu. Recent news reports citing South Korean intelligence sources state that North Korea is preparing for its fifth nuclear test. Such a reaction to pending United Nations and US sanctions is possible given…
North Korea’s Expanding Foreign Press Corps
Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans Four years after the Associated Press (AP) mounted its signboard on a wooden door inside an armed compound in Pyongyang, Agence France-Presse (AFP) announced that it would become the second global news agency to open a bureau in North Korea. “Good…
Congressional Sanctions against North Korea: An Iran Re-do?
Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans For much of the past decade since North Korea first tested a nuclear device, there has been a debate over whether and how much to apply sanctions pressure on North Korea and those who do business with it. This debate has…
North Korea Launches Another Large Rocket: Consequences and Options
Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans On February 7, 2016, North Korea boosted a small satellite into space from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station using a three-stage, liquid-fueled Unha rocket. According to a CBS News report, the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite is orbiting earth, but is tumbling and likely…
North Korea’s Space Launch: An Initial Assessment
Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans At first glance, North Korea’s launch of an Unha Space Launch Vehicle (SLV) on February 7, 2016, looks very much like a repeat of its successful launch a little over three years ago. In fact, a close examination reveals that the…
Satellites, Warheads and Rockets: Is North Korea’s Space Program Really about Missile Development?
Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans This article was originally published on September 28, 2015 but reprinted on February 5, 2016. When the Soviet Union shocked the world and opened the Space Age on October 4, 1957, it was not a coincidence that its first satellite…
The Challenge of Predicting Future North Korean Nuclear Tests
Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans A 38 North exclusive with analysis by Jack Liu. Summary The latest North Korean nuclear test at the Punggye-ri test site apparently surprised the international community as there were few indicators seen before it took place. Unlike the 2013 test, when…
Suspicious Activity at North Korea’s Sohae Satellite Launching Station
Source: National Cyber Security – Produced By Gregory Evans A 38 North exclusive with analysis by Jack Liu Summary Recent commercial satellite imagery shows a range of low-level activities at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station (also referred to as “Tongchang-dong”)—at the launch pad, covered railway station, VIP housing area, launch…