North Korea is dismantling missile facilities, but expert warns against getting 'drunk on optimism'

ABC News ^ | 07/24/2018 | By Linda Mottram

[SeekAndFind]

The think tank 38 North has obtained satellite images that they say show North Korea has begun dismantling key facilities at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, which is used to develop engines for ballistic missiles.

38 North report key facts:

• Commercial satellite imagery of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station indicates dismantling of key facilities has started
• The rail-mounted processing/transfer structure has been moved and partly dismantled
• Most of the vertical engine stand has been removed

It is good news, nuclear expert and MIT Associate Professor Vipin Narang has told PM, "but there are a couple of caveats."

It has taken five weeks for the process to start since the historic summit took place between US President Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong-un.

And the steps taken by North Korea so far are all reversible, says Dr Narang.

"They've removed the super-structure on the static engine test site, but they've kept the concrete, as far as we know," he said.

He says if that's all they do, it can be easily rebuilt, and the same is true of the space launch vehicle facility.

'A far cry from any real step towards disarmament'

Dr Narang says the North Koreans might not even need the Sohae facility to produce the ICBMs and the engines required for long-range missiles, because they may have already perfected them.

"If they've already conducted all the tests they need to, then it really doesn't cost them very much," he said.

"They like pop-up sites and mobile test sites, so it may be that they've just taken steps they would have taken anyway," he said.

[SeekAndFind]

[fieldmarshaldj]

ABC is deeply disappointed.

[butlerweave]

and Upgrading others

[dsrtsage]

If only Trump were half black and had a (D) after his name, they would have retired the entire Nobel Peace prize with an epic weeklong ceremony for him.

[Rusty0604]

The experts were saying it would take years, now this guy is complaining about five weeks.

[shelterguy]

“””””’A far cry from any real step towards disarmament’””””””

I’ll take...Whiny Bitches for $800.00, Alex.

[2ndDivisionVet]

If Mr. Obama were in office this’d be bigger news than VE Day.

[knarf]

Thirty five years from now, after North Korea has become a first world country and South Korea merged with the north to be a unified Republic, and Korea is then a nuclear world power, the lamestream will blare the headlines;

WE TOLD YOU TRUMP WAS A FOOL !

[circlecity]

"If Mr. Obama were in office this’d be bigger news than VE Day."

That was my immediate thought also. They'd be declaring a national holiday.

[2ndDivisionVet]

And naming every third public building, street and ship after him.

[Trump.Deplorable]

Government is slow, I am sure a large broke communist government is even slower.

Trust but verify

[arthurus]

I wonder if any Americans are on the ground there aiding this? I would bet that there are some. North Korea seems to be going through its own After The Fall period. The Norks are a bit more circumspect and still blustery than the Russians were and the country won’t break up but the signs are there.

[reasonisfaith]

Nuclearization vs denuclearization is not driving this discussion.

What drives the discussion is Trump hatred vs Trump support.

[G Larry]

Has anybody warned the “experts” against getting drunk on their hope for failure?

[TBP]

A good step, but only a step.

[Tijeras_Slim]

"They've removed the super-structure on the static engine test site, but they've kept the concrete, as far as we know," he said.

Wait until this whiner finds out we still have old Atlas silos out there.

[Revolutionary]

Engines are one the list as the first to go. Easy and the most critical.