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By Micah McCartney
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North Korea has begun work on what could become the country's largest military production facility, according to analysis of satellite images captured by Planet Labs.
The planned site is expected to dwarf the nearby weapons-producing machine factory—where leader Kim Jong Un recently praised efforts to modernize the nation's defense industry.
Why It Matters
The project comes amid heightened tensions with U.S.-allied South Korea, as Pyongyang continues a steady spate of ballistic missile tests and expands the Kim regime's nuclear missile program and naval capabilities.
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North Korea's munitions factories were "operating at full capacity" last year, according to the South, whose defense ministry says the country has delivered millions of shells and rockets to Russian forces fighting against Ukraine. Pyongyang has also sent thousands of troops to aid in that conflict, now in its fourth year.
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean embassy in China by email with a request for comment outside of office hours.
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What To Know
Satellite photos analyzed by the North Korea-focused specialist website NK News show that several buildings have already been demolished in preparation for new construction.
Based on a 3D rendering displayed during Kim Jong Un's recent visit to the existing factory near the new site—in the city of Huichon, Jagang Province, about 80 miles northeast of Pyongyang—the new facility is estimated to eventually boast at least twice the floor space of the current plant.
If the planned complex ultimately matches the scale shown in the illustration, it will cover between 12 and 25 acres, although this would require the demolition of an additional dozen large structures and some leveling of the surrounding mountainside, NK News reported.
The U.S. and South Korea believe the North is receiving aid—including technical assistance and parts for weapons manufacturing—in exchange for its military assistance to Russia.
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North Korea, like other socialist states before it, maintains an unofficial "second economy" built largely on arms production.
Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Un's grandfather and the country's founder, prioritized the development of this munitions industry as part of a dual policy of economic defense and growth, fueling the rise of the second economy, or an unofficial military economy.
However, North Korean defectors who previously worked for the regime have said resources are prioritized for the second economy over the people's economy, according to a report by the analysis group 38 North last year.
What People Are Saying
Colin Zwirko, senior analytic correspondent for NK News,wrote: "Only a few factory buildings in the country feature a single, uninterrupted production floor of a comparable but still smaller size, like the Taedonggang Battery Factory in the capital or the newly remodeled Kumsong Tractor Factory, but the new Huichon Ryonha facility may become the largest to boast an explicit military production function."
What's Next
North Korea is almost certain to continue its military buildup, which it says is necessary to deter "provocations" by U.S. and South Korean forces.
However, South Korea's newly elected president, Lee Jae-myung, has signaled he aims to ease tensions with North Korea. Last week, for example, he ordered the shutdown of loudspeakers broadcasting daily anti-North Korean propaganda near the border.
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