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
Satellite images show N. Korea’s fall harvest lagging behind last year
It is mid-October, and the fall harvest is well underway in North Korea's fields of golden grain. The harvest typically begins in late August...
Pyongyang’s vanishing islands: Satellite images reveal aggressive sand mining in Taedong...
Recent satellite images capture the gradual disappearance of uninhabited islands in the Taedong River in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang as a result...
Kaesong’s S. Korean buses now serving N. Korea’s Wonsan tourism zone
Five South Korean buses that appear to have operated in the Kaesong Industrial Complex were recently spotted in satellite photos, parked at the Wonsan-Kalma...
N. Korea’s hydroelectric complex carries deadly legacy from Kim Jong Il...
North Korea's largest hydroelectric project stretches 90 kilometers along the Chongchon River across three provinces, but the Huichon power plant carries a dark legacy....
Satellite data shows N. Korea’s 2025 crop conditions slightly worse than...
Satellite imagery includes data widely used to analyze how well vegetation is growing on the ground. This material is called "Global Vegetation Index (Global...
N. Korea finally rebuilds flood-devastated villages in Jagang province
The Rodong Sinmun recently reported that a move-in celebration was held for hundreds of newly built houses in a village along the Jangja River.
Recent...
N. Korea’s decade-long reforestation campaign falls short of ambitious goals
In early August, NASA's Earthdata Search web application released 2024 data on global forest and land use, analyzed by a Boston University research team...
N. Korea conceals uranium refinery drainage to evade satellite detection
Recent satellite images indicate that North Korea is covering drainage channels that flow into a sedimentation pond at a uranium refinery in Pyongsan, North...
North Korea expands nuclear capabilities as Yongbyon facilities operate at full...
Last September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that the North needed to "strengthen its nuclear arsenal" during a surprise visit to a...
One year later: North Korea’s tale of two recoveries
In late July last year, the Yalu River flooded for the first time in 60 years, devastating three northern provinces: North Pyongan, Jagang, and...
