North Korea has restarted construction at a new import disinfection complex near the Chinese border, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, in a move that may signal Pyongyang is preparing to resume large-scale trade with China. 

The new activity included reinforcements made along the complex’s security perimeter and new construction inside the main disinfection zone, in addition to new construction at a plane storage facility at the site.

NK Pro revealed exclusive details of the Uiju military-civilian airport’s transformation into an import disinfection center from February to April this year, but it appeared to remain largely inactive until July.

South Korean intelligence reportedly claimed earlier this month that the center’s failure to open to incoming Chinese freight in April was related to a “grave incident” involving the military that DPRK leader Kim Jong Un made public in late June.

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that North Korean authorities kept the center closed due to concerns over new COVID-19 variants but that they are now aiming to restart trade with China in August, citing an anonymous South Korean government source.

North Korea has recently claimed it is suffering a “food crisis,” and Kim Jong Un declared on Tuesday that the trade blockade he imposed to halt the spread of COVID-19, ongoing since Jan. 2020, had caused “hardships that rival those of war.”

NK Pro analysis of Planet Labs satellite imagery has revealed three major areas of change at the Uiju disinfection center site this month:

SECURITY PERIMETER REINFORCED

Reinforcements to the disinfection center’s outer security perimeter, including the building of new security checkpoints, may indicate authorities are preparing to open the facility.

• July 2-18: A new structure, possibly a security checkpoint, was built at the north end of the Uiju disinfection center next to the point where existing railroad tracks connect to a new section of tracks leading into the zone. The new section that enters the airport from the south and runs parallel to the runway — likely to service trains crossing in from China at the Dandong-Sinuiju border bridge 13 kilometers (8 miles) to the west — was built earlier in April. The northernmost connecting section appeared to be finished between May 17 and June 21, according to high-resolution Planet Labs imagery. 

• July 18-24: At the southern end of the disinfection center, land appeared to be cleared for patrol grounds along the inner edge of the outermost security perimeter. This perimeter was built around the entire airport during initial construction in early 2021.
• July 24-28: Construction began on a new building in this newly cleared ground at the southern end of the zone. The new building’s location — next to a road that leads into the zone from a provincial tree nursery next door — indicates it may be a new roadside security checkpoint.

NEW STRUCTURE INSIDE THE DISINFECTION ZONE

New construction inside the main disinfection zone indicates that it’s still an active project. However, it appeared that key elements, such as freight unloading stations, remained unfinished as of late July.

• July 17-24: Construction started on a new structure at the very northern end of the main airport runway. This part of the airport lies within the innermost secured area of the zone, where there are five rail freight unloading stations and ten large storage buildings measuring 100 by 40 meters each (330 by 130 feet). 
• No other recent major changes appeared inside the disinfection center perimeter.

MAJOR NEW CONSTRUCTION NEAR UNDERGROUND FACILITY

North Korea showed off the operability of its aging air force bombers when dozens of Il-28 and H-5 bombers moved from storage at the airport to faraway airfields in February. Now, more planes have been moved and construction has begun at an underground air force storage facility on site.

• June 24-July 2: Work begins on tearing up the ground along an airplane service road that leads from the airport runway to an underground storage facility to the east of the disinfection center. At least a dozen MiG-21 jets were removed from their parking spots here during this time as well. 
• July 2-17: A new section of road was built from a farm road that leads into the plane storage area. Improvements were also made where the farm road meets the main road leading out of the town of Uiju to the north.
• July 17-24: Construction began on at least six new buildings measuring as large as 50 meters long (165 feet) in the areas where planes used to be parked outdoors.
• These changes could be related to maintaining military use of the underground storage facilities since this area lies outside the disinfection center perimeter. 

Edited by Arius Derr