dChan
Anonymous ID: c10efb April 25, 2020, 9:48 p.m. No.8925167   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5211 >>5243 >>5253 >>5371 >>5451 >>5454 >>5573 >>5611 >>5753

Train possibly belonging to North Korean leader spotted in resort town: think tank

 

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - A special train possibly belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was spotted this week at a resort town in the country, according to satellite images reviewed by a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, amid conflicting reports about Kim’s health and whereabouts. The monitoring project, 38 North, said in its report on Saturday that the train was parked at the “leadership station” in Wonsan on April 21 and April 23. The station is reserved for the use of the Kim family, it said. Though the group said it was probably Kim Jong Un’s train, Reuters has not been able to confirm that independently, or whether he was in Wonsan. “The train’s presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country’s eastern coast,” the report said.

 

Speculation about Kim’s health first arose due to his absence from the anniversary of the birthday of North Korea’s founding father and Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, on April 15. North Korea’s state media last reported on Kim’s whereabouts when he presided over a meeting on April 11. China has dispatched a team to North Korea including medical experts to advise on Kim Jong Un, according to three people familiar with the situation.

 

A third-generation hereditary leader who came to power after his father’s death in 2011, Kim has no clear successor in a nuclear-armed country, which could present major international risk. On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump downplayed reports that Kim was ill. “I think the report was incorrect,” Trump told reporters, but he declined to say if he had been in touch with North Korean officials. Trump has met Kim three times in an attempt to persuade him to give up a nuclear weapons program that threatens the United States as well as its Asian neighbors. While talks have stalled, Trump has continued to hail Kim as a friend.

 

REPORTS AND CONTROLS

Reporting from inside North Korea is notoriously difficult because of tight controls on information. A Trump administration official said continuing days of North Korean media silence on Kim’s whereabouts had heightened concerns about his condition, and that information remained scant from a country U.S. intelligence has long regarded as a “black box.” The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to questions about the situation on Saturday.

 

Daily NK, a Seoul-based website that reports on North Korea, cited one unnamed source in North Korea on Monday as saying that Kim had undergone medical treatment in the resort county of Hyangsan north of the capital Pyongyang. It said that Kim was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure on April 12. Since then, multiple South Korean media reports have cited unnamed sources this week saying that Kim might be staying in the Wonsan area. On Friday, local news agency Newsis cited South Korean intelligence sources as reporting that a special train for Kim’s use had been seen in Wonsan, while Kim’s private plane remained in Pyongyang. Newsis reported Kim may be sheltering from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Kim, believed to be 36, has disappeared from coverage in North Korean state media before. In 2014, he vanished for more than a month and North Korean state TV later showed him walking with a limp. Speculation about his health has been fanned by his heavy smoking, apparent weight gain since taking power and family history of cardiovascular problems.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-politics-train-idUSKCN2270TF

Anonymous ID: c10efb April 25, 2020, 10:24 p.m. No.8925371   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5451 >>5454 >>5573 >>5611 >>5753

>>8925167

 

38 North is a website devoted to informed analysis of North Korea.

 

While it strives to break new ground, the site’s main objective is to bring the best possible analysis to both seasoned North Korea watchers and general audiences alike. Too often analysis of the North is permeated by inexperience, littered with inaccurate information or grounded in poorly deduced reasoning. We believe no one really knows for sure what is going on in North Korea, but we can at least try to understand the possibilities. Similarly, anyone who professes certainty should be viewed with the greatest skepticism. To accomplish these objectives, 38 North harnesses the experience of long-time observers of North Korea and others who have dealt directly with North Koreans. It draws on other experts outside the field who might bring fresh, well-informed insights to those of us who follow North Korea.

 

38 North covers not only North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction, but digs beneath the surface of political, economic, social and other developments. North Korea is not a hermit kingdom, but rather a country that has been in the throes of change, good and bad, for over a decade. Those changes have important implications for the Korean peninsula, the East Asian region and the international community. 38 North strives as much as possible for ideological balance, publishing opposing opinions, and utilizes various technologies to analyze military, economic, social and other developments north of the DMZ. While it is an American-based project, it draws on experts from around the world to provide international perspectives as well.

 

https://www.38north.org/about/

 

38 North is a website devoted to analysis about North Korea ts name refers to the 38th parallel north which passes through the Korean peninsula and which, until the Korean War, divided North and South Korea. Formerly a program of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, it is now housed at the Stimson Center and is managed by former U.S. Department of State official Joel S. Wit and Managing Editor Jenny Town. Notable contributors include nuclear scientist Sigfried Hecker, former Associated Press Pyongyang Bureau Chief Jean H. Lee, cybersecurity expert James Andrew Lewis,and North Korea Tech founder Martyn Williams.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/38_North

Anonymous ID: c10efb April 25, 2020, 10:45 p.m. No.8925451   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5494 >>5573 >>5611 >>5753

>>8925371 >>8925167

With construction of a Secure Building (not sure what it is yet) it seems to me that reports of him being in this area are quite plausible. The high level security of this project might be the reason it was not mentioned he left the residence and hasn't been seen. The time frames here are with in line since the last public appearance he made.

 

The Dual-Use Wonsan-Kalma Airfield and A New Seaside Facility

April 24, 2020

 

Recent commercial satellite imagery indicate that air operations at the dual-use Wonsan-Kalma Airfield coincided with a reported combined air and ground-to-sea live-fire exercise conducted on the eve of the “Day of the Sun.” In addition, the construction on a new, secure seaside facility located immediately south of the beach resort and whose purpose is unknown is moving at a rapid pace.

 

Exercise Support Observed at the Wonsan-Kalma Airfield Reports indicate North Korea conducted a combined air and ground-to-sea live-fire exercise in the vicinity of Munchon and Wonsan on April 14. It was the first time such a display has been seen in this area since 2017. Imagery of the Wonsan-Kalma Airfield, taken one day before and one day after the April 14 exercise, revealed little regarding the reported event. Reports indicated that a mix of Sukhoi-variant and MiG aircraft participated in the exercise, but no Sukhoi aircraft had appeared at the airfield. There were, however, indications of flight operations involving MiG-15s. Specifically, five MiG-15s were brought to the airfield between March 30 and April 13 and staged at the southwest parking aprons adjacent to the tunnel aircraft storage facilities. This was in addition to the MiG-21s and MiG-15s routinely observed parked in this area in open storage. In addition, approximately eight possible aircraft tow tractors were lined up on at the southernmost apron. On imagery from April 15, the five MiG-15s were no longer observed, but the eight possible tow tractors were located on the northern of the two aprons, suggesting the MiG-15s had either departed the airfield, or more likely, were moved inside the tunnels. While it is possible that launchers had arrived at the beach, fired their projectiles and returned to their bases between the two imagery dates, there was no discernable trace of live-fire activity. A more likely scenario is that the ground fire was conducted from the beaches on the Hodo-ri peninsula, which is located on the north side of the Wonsan-Munchon bay. Unfortunately, that area is infrequently imaged and no coverage from that period is available.

 

Construction of a New Facility Imagery of the adjacent beach areas immediately south of the Wonsan Beach Resort also revealed construction activity on an unidentified, separately-secured facility. Just south of that construction site is a large, open beach area with numerous vehicle tracks and a probable revetment observed, suggesting it might be a maneuver area. Construction on the new, secured facility was first visible in imagery from December 4, 2019. Subsequent coverage indicates that construction is progressing at a rapid pace. The facility’s near proximity to the sea seems unusual, as it doesn’t appear to be a resort compound or represent a function which would dictate its location by the water. A perimeter wall encloses the facility, suggesting a degree of security is sought. Buildings under construction include a large main building in a modified “H” configuration, four medium-sized, rectangular buildings, and several small buildings. In addition, materials, which will probably be used for the construction of a seawall, are aligned on the east side of the facility. The paving of the facility access road, branching off the resort’s main beachside road, is also in progress. The purpose or function of this facility is not yet understood. However, given the level of security being put into place, it merits further monitoring.

 

https://www.38north.org/2020/04/wonsan042420/

Anonymous ID: c10efb April 25, 2020, 11:18 p.m. No.8925573   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5599 >>5611 >>5753

>>8925167 >>8925371 >>8925451

 

Train Spotted at Kim Jong Un’s Wonsan Compound

 

A train probably belonging to Kim Jong Un has been parked at the Leadership Railway Station servicing his Wonsan compound since at least April 21, according to commercial satellite imagery. The train’s presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health, but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country’s eastern coast. The approximately 250-meter long train, although partially covered by the station’s roof, can be seen at a railway station reserved for use by the Kim family. It was not present on April 15 but was present on both April 21 and 23. Imagery indicates the train arrived sometime before April 21 and was still present on April 23, when it appeared to be repositioned for departure. However, there was no indication when that departure might take place.

 

The Wonsan complex includes nine large guesthouses and a recreation center. At the center of the grounds is a large building that was constructed shortly after Kim Jong Un came to power in 2014. It also includes a protected port, shooting range, recreation building and a covered dock that is believed for his mega yacht. Adjacent to the railway station is a small runway that was originally used for light aircraft but was converted in the second half of 2019 into a horse-riding track to match Kim’s latest hobby. Kim Jong Un’s last reported public appearance was an inspection of an air force group at an unnamed airfield in the west of North Korea. Photographs and satellite imagery indicate it was at the Sunchon Airport, about 50 km northeast of Pyongyang. Reports since then have quoted various sources claiming he has been spotted walking around the Wonsan area to recovering at a compound in the north west of the country at Hyangsan in varying degrees of health.

 

https://www.38north.org/2020/04/wonsancompound042520/

 

Think it can be safely said, Kim is fine..reports of his demise are false

Anonymous ID: c10efb April 25, 2020, 11:44 p.m. No.8925668   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>8925636

Chlorine = disinfectant, Sunshine = light (also where pools are..)

 

Message: "Stay out of the pools and the sun because you told you too. We want you sick and dying".