Octavio Pérez from the Miami Strategic Intelligence Institute for FinGurú
In March 2022, Kim Jong-un, during a personal visit to the Sohae satellite launch complex, gave the direct order to expand the facilities. Just as his father and grandfather (Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung) provided personal guidance in factories, construction sites, and missile manufacturing facilities, he followed the tradition of these nepotistic rulers who know everything, control everything, and are considered demigods, parents of the republic.
It is evident that in the last three years, the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) has launched numerous satellites or attempted to put them into orbit. In November 2023, it placed its first military reconnaissance satellite (Malligyong 1) into orbit.
North Korea thus became an active space player, with careful monitoring, which also serves as a psychological warfare instrument, as it can now detect specific targets and troop movements that would otherwise only be reported by human sources or electronic intercepts.
It goes without saying that South Korea initially sought technological assistance from Russia in 2007 and even acquired helicopters and tanks. Russia helped South Korea develop the first-stage rocket propulsion system for the Korean Space Launch Vehicle, something considered dual-use technology, as research and development (R&D) are quite ambiguous.
Thus, space exploration has had unusual bedfellows, and just after the start of the Ukraine War, we noticed its impact:
● The destruction of the Antonov 225 downed one of the only three planes capable of carrying satellites, increasing the cost of their transport.
● South Korea abandoned its launch plans from Russia.
● Russia, for its part, due to the need for North Korean artillery shells and later troops, as well as international sanctions, inhibited collaboration with South Korea.
Thus, South Korea allied with SpaceX and the United States on this project. Meanwhile, North Korea began receiving assistance after Kim Jong-un's famous visit on September 13, 2023, to the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Russian Far East, where Putin agreed to assist in technology development. North Korea aimed to launch up to three reconnaissance satellites by the end of 2024. By May 2024, in the last failed attempt, no further activity was recorded. Therefore, expectations for 2025 are high, but something has to happen.
Unfortunately, images from May 25 to July 18 ultimately revealed the completion of the pier's construction at the facilities. Its purpose:
● To transport large rocket components.
● To create an alternative to rail deliveries.
The implications and analyses from various research centers, such as 38 North, The Stimson Center, and Planet Labs PBC, indicate that the port expansion has been modernized to allow passage for larger-draft ships. Additionally, this expansion would facilitate the unloading of goods.
Other significant features detected:
● Expansion of the road network to and from the port
● Possible expansion of railway lines adjacent to the road
In the last 26 years, North Korea has made at least nine credible attempts to put a satellite into orbit, with a success rate of 33% (i.e., 3 out of 9 attempts). In its last attempt in May 2024, the rocket exploded mid-flight.
Judging by the activity at the complex over the last 18 months, it seems that Kim's orders are finally materializing. It is evident that the facilities are being expanded to accommodate several rockets and a missile research and development center.
Kim's orders are finally visible at Sohae. He still has many demands regarding submarine delays, the refloating of the 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon, and significant repairs at the Yongbyon nuclear research facility, which will expand the country's nuclear arsenal.
References
AzPost. (2025). New pier completed at North Korea's rocket launch platform, satellite images show [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJfMF2sOfNo&ab_channel=AzPost
Eom, T. Y. (January 13, 2025). Espionage elevated: The growing competition between North and South Korea over military satellites. Canada Asia Pacific Foundation. https://www.asiapacific.ca/publication/espionage-elevated-north-and-south-koreas-growing-military
@realTuckFrumper. (July 18, 2025). Satellite images show an increase in North Korea's rocket production [Post]. X. https://x.com/realTuckFrumper/status/1946245946943086640
Newsweek. (July 18, 2025). Satellite images show an increase in North Korea's rocket production. https://www.newsweek.com/satellite-images-north-korea-rocket-production-boost-2100645
Stone, M., and Park, J.-m. (July 17, 2025). Satellite images show that a new pier has been completed at North Korea's rocket launch site. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/new-pier-completed-north-korea-rocket-launch-site-satellite-imagery-shows-2025-07-17/
Lieutenant Colonel Octavio Pérez is a U.S. Army intelligence officer with extensive experience, having served more than two decades on active duty and other assignments in the reserves. He specialized in intelligence and nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare, commanding operations at Fort Leonard Wood and serving in the Republic of Korea. At the Defense Intelligence Agency, he focused on North Korean military analysis and responded to crises related to the Achille Lauro and TWA 847 incidents. Pérez volunteered in the 1st Cavalry Division during Operation Shield/Storm and later served as Chief Intelligence Instructor at the U.S. Army School of the Americas, where he trained Latin American officers in low-intensity conflicts. His reserve career culminated at U.S. Southern Command as a strategic intelligence officer (J2 Ops).
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