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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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Pyongyang satellite monitoring station
In the northern Pyongyang suburb of Hyongjesan there are twelve large satellite dishes on a hillside. The dishes, easily visible in satellite photos, have been there for at least a decade and while their function is unknown, their close proximity to North Korea’s signals intelligence headquarters might be a clue to their purpose. Some of the dishes have…
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Hana Electronics expands
Hana Electronics, one of the few DPRK-foreign joint venture companies in Pyongyang, has recently expanded the facilities at its headquarters, it said on its home page. The company is held equally by the commercial arm of North Korea’s Ministry of Culture and Phoenix Commercial Ventures, and was established in 2003. It began manufacturing DVD and…
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PUST adds 100 students
The Pyongyang University of Science and Technology enrolled an additional 100 students at the start of the current academic semester, according to a foundation that supports the school. The first classes at PUST began in October 2010 with 160 students enrolled, said reports at the time. The latest intake will take the student body to…
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Kujang shortwave transmitter site
If you’ve ever listened to The Voice of Korea on shortwave, you’ve probably heard broadcasts from this transmitter site. Kujang is one of the largest transmitter locations in the DPRK with, according to official records, 5 shortwave transmitters each capable of delivering a 200kW signal. That’s powerful enough to reach most corners of the world,…
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Pyongyang Earth Station
In Pyongyang’s eastern suburb of Sadong lies one of North Korea’s gateways with the world. The satellite earth station, pictured below, links the country with international communications satellites. Construction of the earth station began in early 1984, a few months before North Korea joined the Soviet-led Intersputnik group. Back then, Intersputnik served as the satellite…
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CNC big in Kim Jong Il’s January visits
Alongside a call to reduced tensions with its southern neighbor, North Korea’s New Year joint editorial called for a significant effort to modernize and build up its light-industry sector this year. Central to this task will be the adoption of computer-controlled machinery, so-called CNC (computer numeric control) equipment. So it comes as no surprise that…
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Expansion at Pyongyang TV Tower
There appears to have been a significant expansion of communications capability at Pyongyang TV tower over the last decade. Analysis of satellite imagery through Google Earth shows big expansion of a neighboring building and the addition of multiple satellite dishes. (See the bottom of this post for updates.) Here’s what the building looked like on…
