North Korean Launch Site Showing Operational

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un talking in Capella Hotel, during the Singapore summit.

According to satellite images and professional analysis available at 38North.org, the Sohae launch site in North Korea has been rebuilt to a level which would allow its use. Construction has not stopped, but continues toward bringing the base to its original condition.

This is the site which was decommissioned in 2018 in response to the first Trump/Un summit. Its partial dismantling was seen by some as an indication that there was a possibility that the Trump approach might yield results.

President Trump himself was particularly positive following that summit.

It is particularly noteworthy to recognize that the reconstruction of the Sohae launch site began prior to the second summit, indicating that it was either to be used as a negotiation tool or was being built independent of any promises made by Un.

The site would allow the launch of both missiles and military satellites.

The reconstruction of Sohae is the latest military expansion by North Korea, following their development of what is believed to be advanced artillery and the covert operation of missile bases, both during the period where they were said by President Trump to be working toward denuclearization.

Per his most recent statements, Trump considers Kim a dear, close friend. On Wednesday, he addressed the situation to the press.

“I would be very disappointed if that is happening,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, cautioning that it was “a very early report.”

USA Today

The pre-summit construction effort is a particularly bad sign for current U.S. strategy. Allowing an opponent to repeatedly offer the same item in exchange for ever-greater concessions shows atrocious deal-making; allowing an opponent to offer something and then recant it indicates that at least one of the parties is not negotiating in good faith.

It would almost seem as if Trump gave historic concessions to North Korea and elevated them from rogue nation status to that of a standard world leader and received nothing substantial in return.

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About AlienMotives 1991 Articles
Ex-Navy Reactor Operator turned bookseller. Father of an amazing girl and husband to an amazing wife. Tired of willful political blindness, but never tired of politics. Hopeful for the future.

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