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First reports from Sohae launch pad
A handful of reporters allowed in to North Korea to cover the launch of its Unha-3 rocket got a close-up look at the launch pad on Sunday.
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DPRK gets second link to Internet
North Korea no longer relies on a single foreign telecom company to carry its Internet traffic to and from the rest of the world. Ever since Star Joint Venture launched the country’s first fully-fledged Internet connection in 2010, North Korean traffic has flowed across the country’s northern border and through an interconnection with China Netcom.…
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Launch preparations underway at Sohae
The latest satellite imagery of North Korea’s Sohae Launch Facility shows what appears to be preparations for the planned mid-April launch of a Unha-3 rocket. The pictures, from GeoEye, show several vehicles in the launch pad area, apparently taking in part in work ahead of the launch. There has also been progress on several construction…
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More aviation warnings for rocket launch
Air traffic control authorities in North and South Korea have issued warnings to aircraft associated with North Korea’s planned rocket launch in April. The warnings follow a message issued last week by authorities in The Philippines concerning restrictions on airspace during the April 12th to 16th launch window. North Korea’s authorities have closed a route…
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Changes at Pyongyang Earth Station
A recent Google Earth update has revealed some changes at one of North Korea’s largest international communications center. Pyongyang Earth Station, situated in Pyongyang’s eastern suburb of Sadong, is believed to be responsible for the country’s civilian satellite communications links with the rest of the world. I wrote a little about its history in a previous post.…
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Inside Sohae Launch Facility
Recent satellite images of the Sohae Launch Facility on the DPRK’s west coast are providing the best glimpse yet of the center where the DPRK intends to launch a rocket in early April. North Korea says it’s launching a satellite while the rest of the world consider it a cover for a long-range missile test.…
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Air traffic warned of rocket drop zone
Aircraft flying between The Philippines and Japan are being cautioned that three air routes cross the area in which part of North Korea’s Unha-3 rocket is expected to fall to land. The area is identical to the “second stage falling area” that was notified to international maritime authorities earlier this week. The Unha-3 rocket is…
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Pyongyang News website offers archived TV news
A website in Japan has begun offering an archive of several days worth of North Korean TV news broadcasts. [Updated: see below] The Pyongyang News website appears to be affiliated with a handful of sites operated by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (sometimes known as ‘Chosen Soren’ or ‘Chongryon’) (??????????, ??? ??? ????). At…
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Stamps of previous satellite launches
North Korea has twice attempted to launch satellites into space in the past: once in 1998 and once in 2009. The success of the launches is an issue of debate — monitors, both governmental and amateur, never managed to detect signals from the 2009 satellite — but they were immortalized on two North Korean postage…
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AP/KCNA photo exhibit opens in New York
A joint photo exhibition being staged by The Associated Press and the Korean Central News Agency opened at New York’s The 8th Floor gallery this week. The exhibition is one by-product of the AP’s opening of a news bureau in Pyongyang earlier this year and features 79 photographs, including shots from AP photographers, KCNA staffers…
