Kim Jong-un’s “most powerful” missile has just been launched from his golf course, photos suggest — and experts fear that could mean big trouble.
A new Hwasong-18 missile lifted off last week from a launch site in eastern Pyongyang, according to Sam Lair of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
But it’s no ordinary test site—it’s one of Kim’s private mansions, and it has its own golf course—and the runway itself was probably the launch pad.
North Korean expert Jacob Bogle identified the golf course when he created a comprehensive map of the country from satellite imagery.
It is believed that the site may have been chosen to send a message to the rest of the world.
Kim Jong-un’s ‘most powerful’ missile has been launched from his golf course, photos suggest — and experts fear it could mean big trouble
But it’s no ordinary test site—it’s one of Kim’s private mansions, and it has its own golf course—and the runway itself was probably the launch pad. In the photo: Kim Jong-un with his ten-year-old daughter, Kim Ju-ae
He said, ‘Hwasong-18 was launched in an unknown mansion in Samsok district in eastern Pyongyang, along a bend in the Taedong River.
There isn’t much public information about this complex, but the palace contains a grand banquet hall and has one of only three golf courses known in North Korea.
They have been launched from a variety of locations such as runways, roads, and beaches, and I believe this is to demonstrate that they can be launched from unexpected places and different terrains.
“It’s basically a threat—”We can do this from anywhere, and if you attack our dedicated ballistic missile bases, we can still drive to a random golf course or anywhere and launch a nuclear bomb.” ”
He continued, “The ability of any country to launch from all terrains gives that country a greater second strike ability and enhances the survival of its missile forces.”
If the West destroys the known North Korean missile bases, Pyongyang can still have mobile launch units that fire from airfields, highways, beaches and even palaces. This makes tracking and targeting more difficult.
Footage of last week’s missile test shows a mobile launcher heading to its destination along a small runway road lined with planted hedges.
It continues through well-mowed grass fields and over a small embankment, before reaching a springboard surrounded by five large ponds.
North Korean expert Jacob Bogle identified the golf course when he created a comprehensive map of the country from satellite imagery
“Hwasong-18 was launched at an unknown mansion in the Samsok district in eastern Pyongyang, along a bend in the Taedong River,” said Bogle.
The test site could be a playing field with a series of water hazards on its edge.
It remains unclear if it is actually part of the golf course – the running board has only recently appeared in satellite images and the elevation there is lower than the rest of the fairway.
In any case, the launch site remains symbolic – the new Kim intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is the first to use solid fuel, which makes it faster and easier to launch.
The system’s propaganda described the Hwaseong-18 as “the country’s most powerful, pivotal, and essential means of defense.”
“Solid fuel rockets are made with solid fuel inside,” Bogle said.
This allows them to be stored for long periods in underground or bunker bunkers and then transported to many potential launch sites and fired with relative ease.
On the other hand, liquid-fueled missiles take much longer as they must be fueled before launch – which can take over an hour. This makes them more likely to be located and destroyed.
Its volatile liquid fuel also limits the types of terrain it can safely navigate by mobile launchers.
The palace itself consisted of an area estimated at 12,000 square metres, bounded by an inner perimeter wall, and an outer enclosure with guard posts and eyelets.
The complex also includes a barracks for the security forces and many other support buildings.
Footage of a missile test last week shows a mobile launcher heading to its destination along a small runway road lined with planted hedges.
The test site could be a playing field with a series of water hazards on its edge. Pictured: Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae near the mobile phone launch pad
