Bruce Songhak Chung uses satellite imagery and open-source intelligence to shed light on what North Korea doesn’t want the world to see — from nuclear facilities and naval construction to hidden rail stations and military runways. His columns for Daily NK offer some of the most technically rigorous DPRK analysis available in English.
Tag: Bruce Songhak Chung Columns
How North Korea built its African empire of stone and steel
For decades, North Korea has generated foreign currency by designing and constructing commemorative monuments across Africa — statues, museums, and public memorials built for...
Built by Pyongyang: The North Korean company behind Africa’s most iconic...
North Korea has long relied on unconventional means to earn hard currency in the face of sweeping international sanctions that have effectively shut off...
Satellite analysis: North Korea’s 5,000-ton destroyer fleet in construction but short...
North Korea began building and publicly unveiling its 5,000-ton destroyers starting in 2025. Recent satellite imagery suggests the vessels are not yet fully operational...
Inside the Sinuiju greenhouse: the hidden rail station built for Kim...
Satellite imagery has revealed that North Korea built a private rail station for Kim Jong Un at the center of the newly inaugurated Sinuiju...
Satellite imagery reveals what remains of North Korea-Syria cooperation sites
Nearly two decades after an Israeli airstrike obliterated a suspected North Korean-built reactor in the Syrian desert, new satellite imagery of the Al-Kibar site...
After Iran: Why a strike on North Korea’s nuclear sites is...
On June 21, 2025, the United States carried out Operation Midnight Hammer, deploying B-2 stealth bombers armed with GBU-57 massive bunker busters and cruise...
North Korea’s winter games: Samjiyon as propaganda showcase
Unable to qualify for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games — held Feb. 6-22 in Italy — North Korea opened its 2026 National Winter...
Mystery at Yongbyon: North Korea’s reactor hides its heat from satellites
Satellite thermal data show that North Korea's 5MWe reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex is registering surface temperatures far colder than its surroundings, even...
North Korea’s railway bridges: strategic assets linking China, Russia while severing...
North Korea's railway network and border railway bridges are more than just means of transportation — they are a strategic asset closely tied to...
North Korea pushes forward with massive tideland reclamation projects
Since the time of Kim Il Sung, North Korea has sought to compensate for its mountainous terrain and shortage of arable land through tideland...
