Container captured on the 17th, appears to have been transported on the 20th
The site identified by the White House as a site for arms trading
On the 21st, containers were again seen piled up at Rajin Port in North Korea.
As a result of the Voice of America (VOA) examining satellite images from Planet Labs that day, a long rectangular pile of containers was identified at the North Korean-only dock at Rajin Port. It has been four days since new containers were piled up here.
Previously, VOA captured containers stacked about 90m long at this point through satellite photos dated the 17th, and reported that two days later, on the 19th, it discovered a large 115m long ship loading containers here.
Afterwards, the ship was captured in a satellite photo taken at 11:01 a.m. the next day, the 20th, but was not identified in a satellite photo taken at 3:43 p.m., about four hours later.
Accordingly, it is presumed that this ship left Rajin Port at some time in the meantime. She also could no longer see the pile of her containers at her dock, as the ship seemed to have taken all of her containers with it.
However, just one day later, on the 21st, another pile of containers was confirmed.
Previously, on the 13th, the White House said, “North Korea provided 1,000 containers worth of military equipment and ammunition to Russia,” and released satellite photos of maritime shipping containers loaded at this point on the 7th and 8th of last month. At the time, the White House said there were about 300 containers loaded.
VOA reported that given the similarities between the containers at the time and the newly discovered container stack, the number of containers currently piled up at the site is estimated to be approximately 300.
VOA analyzed satellite photos taken of North Korea’s exclusive pier at Rajin Port and reported that at least five large ships entered and left the port on August 26.
VOA said, “We cannot conclude that this is all arms trading,” but added, “It is noteworthy that this movement was shown in a place that the White House has designated as an arms trading site.”
The UN Security Council bans North Korea’s arms exports through a number of resolutions against North Korea, including Resolution 1718.
North Korea and Russia deny arms deals and military cooperation.
Previously, Kim In-cheol, secretary of North Korea’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said at a meeting of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on the 16th, “We firmly reject the United States’ claims about the alleged arms trade between North Korea and Russia,” adding, “This damages the image of North Korea as a dignified member of the United Nations.” “It is a politically motivated disinformation campaign aimed at
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.