DPRK starts dismantling rocket site

Move seen as significant gesture after landmark Kim-Trump talks

A latest US satellite image shows that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has started dismantling facilities at its main satellite launch station, which is seen as a testing ground for its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

If confirmed, it will be a step toward fulfilling the commitment of denuclearization, experts said.

A report released by a research group in the United States said the images, taken by a commercial satellite between July 20-22, indicated that the DPRK began dismantling key facilities at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station.

The facilities being dismantled include a rocket engine test stand used to develop liquid-fuel engines for ballistic missiles and space-launch vehicles and a rail-mounted processing building where space-launch vehicles were assembled before being moved to the launchpad, according to the report.

The report also said Sohae is "believed to have played an important role in the development of technologies for Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile program, these efforts represent a significant confidence-building measure on the part" of the DPRK.

A senior official from the Republic of Korea's presidential office, the Blue House, said on Tuesday that Seoul welcomed the dismantlement of the site, saying the move "will likely have a good effect on denuclearization", according to the Yonhap News Agency.

Nam Gwan-pyo, the senior director from the ROK's National Security Office, said "it is a better sign than nothing, and I believe the North (the DPRK) is moving step by step toward denuclearization".

Yonhap also said an ROK official has confirmed the report of the DPRK's dismantlement, noting that Pyongyang appeared to have partially disassembled a tower crane near a launchpad at the test site on Friday and again on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Seoul's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the ROK is considering withdrawing some troops from its border zone with the DPRK as a confidence-building measure.

The ministry said it would withdraw a number of soldiers and equipment at guard posts inside the Demilitarized Zone on a trial basis, and consider a gradual expansion of the pullout later, the AFP reported.

Lee Choon-geun, a missile expert at the ROK's Science and Technology Policy Institute, said Pyongyang's move to dismantle the rail-mounted processing building was a meaningful development as it potentially indicated to broader dismantlement activities at the site, which would meaningfully reduce the country's long-range missile capability.

Zhang Liangui, an expert on Korean studies at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said the dismantlement would be a significant gesture from the DPRK and a step forward after the landmark summit between its top leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

In a joint statement from the leaders after they met in Singapore last month, the two sides committed to establish new relations as the DPRK committed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

More pressure

Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in New York urging United Nations member states to keep tough economic sanctions in place to pressure Pyongyang into moving forward, a sign seen by Zhang as Washington's impatience on the denuclearization issues.

Zhang said as there remains a vast chasm between the two sides on nuclear dismantlement and the speed and sequence of denuclearization steps, the two countries still need further dialogue and make constant efforts to fulfill the commitment to maintain lasting and stable peace on the Korean Peninsula.

AP contributed to this story.