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Satellite images released by the website 38 North of North Korea’s Tongchang Village missile launch site

The US government responded to reports of the rebuilding of North Korea’s missile launch site at Tongchang Village with a warning to Pyongyang not to renege on its promises.

While it reaffirmed its openness to dialogue, Washington also raised the threshold by repudiating a step-by-step approach and insisting that sanctions could not be waived for inter-Korean economic cooperation.

Questioned by reporters on Mar. 7 about intelligence reports that North Korea is rebuilding its West Sea satellite launch site at Tongchang Village in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, US President Donald Trump said he would be “very disappointed” in North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if the reports are true. The day before, he had stressed that the intelligence was “a very early report” but added that he would be “very, very disappointed in Chairman Kim” if they were true.

On Mar. 8, the US-based North Korean affairs website 38 North and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported that the Tongchang Village launch site appeared to have returned to normal operations. Based on satellite images taken on Mar. 6, 38 North said the missile launch site and engine testing site were believed to be in condition for normal operations after structural rebuilding efforts launched before the North Korea-US summit in Hanoi on Feb. 27–28.

A senior State Department official said on Mar. 8 that the Tongchang Village launch site was being watched “closely.”

“The intent of the North Koreans in this matter is known only to them at this point,” the official said in a briefing.

“The President [Trump] not only received that commitment [to dismantle the launch site] from Kim Jong-un in Singapore [in June 2018], but likewise Chairman Kim made that commitment to President Moon Jae-in at the Pyongyang summit on September 19,” the official added, in a message stressing Kim’s promise to dismantle the site and urging him not to cross the line.

The same official also said the US would not be adopting a step-by-step approach. Asked by reporters whether Trump had abandoned the step-by-step approach advocated by others and sided with White House National Security Advisor John Bolton in Hanoi, the official said, “Nobody in the administration advocates a step-by-step approach.”

“In all cases, the expectation is a complete denuclearization of North Korea as a condition for [. . .] all the other steps being taken,” the official added. The remarks were taken as signaling that after adopting a more gradual approach ahead of the Hanoi summit, the Trump administration is now leaning again toward a “big deal” approach.

When asked whether the State Department was considering waiving sanctions on inter-Korean economic cooperation amid the South Korea government’s push to resume operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex and tourism at Mt. Kumgang, the official said it was not.

“The pressure campaign will be maintained [if North Korea does not accept Trump’s proposal] and if the President decides, the sanctions will be increased,” the official said.

Despite the failure of the Hanoi summit to produce an agreement, the US government predicted North Korea’s complete denuclearization could be achieved before Trump’s first term ends in January 2021. When asked if everything was achievable within Trump’s first term, the same official answered in the affirmative.

“Writ large, what I’m talking about is the final, fully verified denuclearization (FFVD) of North Korea,” the official said.

“That means taking out all [the] key parts of their nuclear fuel cycle, removing all their fissile material, removing their nuclear warheads, removing or destroying all their intercontinental ballistic missiles, [and] permanently freezing any other weapons of mass destruction programs,” the official continued, adding that Trump had also demanded the complete elimination of the North’s biological and chemical weapons program during the second summit.

At the same time, the official reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to resuming talks.

“The door remains open to continue those negotiations as soon as possible,” the official insisted.

Speaking to reporters the same day, Trump said he would “let you know in about a year” whether the denuclearization talks would be successful. In an appearance on Fox News, Bolton said Trump was “obviously open to talking again.”

“We'll see when that might be scheduled or how it would work out,” he added.

By Lee Bon-yeong, staff reporter

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