Report: North Korea retains missile base in mountainous region

SEOUL, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Satellite images of North Korea indicate Pyongyang retains a missile base near Kumchang-ri, in a mountainous region of the country's northwest.

According to Strategic Sentinel, a U.S. provider of geospatial intelligence, aerial photographs of North Korea taken between 2010 and 2014 indicate the regime maintains an underground missile hangar called a silo, Voice of America reported Thursday.

The base in North Pyongan Province is similar to a facility in Iran and is located close to a wide road and buildings that appear to be centers of missile assembly, according to the report.

The missile base is a new discovery and is located about 13 miles from Panghyon Airport, which South Korea's military has said may have been the test site of an intermediate-range Musudan missile in October.

Analysts at Strategic Sentinel told VOA Tuesday the base has been kept confidential and includes facilities that could store missiles.

The most significant feature of the base is the silo, a subterranean missile launch containment facility.

A 7.4-meter wide sliding cover shields the hangar, according to the Strategic Sentinel analysts Ryan Barenklau and Nathan Hunt.

Strategic Sentinel told UPI there are similarities between the structure and a silo in Iran, but the likeness does not indicate any conclusions about whether Iran and North Korea worked together on the missile program.

In 2012, South Korea and Japan media reported Iranian missile experts took part in the test launch of North Korea's long-range rocket Unha-3, according to VOA.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated the silos are evidence of Iran-North Korea collaboration. No such conclusions were given to VOA, according to Strategic Sentinel.