An expert who spent nearly a decade making an exhaustive map of North Korea has shared a number of secrets about the rogue state.
Jacob Bogle named and verified 64,400 locations in the country to create a detailed map of the so-called Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The identified sites include areas Kim Jong Un would rather not be made public, like ballistic missile bases and palaces.
Speaking with Vice, Jacob said: “I've created the most comprehensive map of North Korea available to the general public.
“A lot of this information they would not like to be out in public.
"I've centralised into it one place where you can learn anything: the ballistic missile bases, where all the tunnels are, where the palaces are.
“I have a personal library of about 30,000 pages worth of material on every topic imaginable related to North Korea.
"This has nuclear sites, underground, archaeological sites. I think we do a disservice when we hide things behind walls.”
Aerial images from one of the areas, a patch of land close to the Pyongsan uranium mill, suggest the country could be dumping nuclear waste into the river, which is in-turn flowing out to the ocean.
The rivers carry water to farmland to grow crops that feed thousands of North Koreans.
Due to the country's secretive nature, domestic developments are often picked up on using satellite pictures.
A cluster of mansions wiped from satellite photos in 2011 coincided with a mass purge of some of North Korea's most high-ranking officials, Jacob added.
The researcher says he has combed through 30,000 pages of material to achieve the momentous feat.
His efforts have not gone unnoticed, earning him the attention of Pyongyang, which has turned its hackers on him on at least six occasions, he says.
He said: “Naturally people are going to want to try and stop you. It’s just part of the job and you have to deal with it really.”
Yesterday, a batch of satellite images emerged showing that Pyongyang could be gearing up to launch a new ballistic missile submarine.
Six barges and vessels were seen gathered around a construction hall quay at Sinpo South Shipyard, on the east coast of North Korea in commercial satellite imagery taken on September 18, said 38 North, which monitors North Korea.
And they could be involved in the building of new submarines capable of firing ballistic missiles, according to the report.
"While barges and a dry dock have been occasionally observed around the submarine launch quay at the main construction hall, the presence of six vessels and barges in this area has not been observed before," it stated.
It concluded that the activity suggests preparations to launch a submarine.
The report comes as US President Joe Biden accused North Korea of "blatantly violating UN sanctions" in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, citing the country as among the reasons to strengthen international nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
Analysts first spotted signs that at least one new submarine was being built in 2016, and in 2019 state media showed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a previously unreported submarine that was built under "his special attention" and that would be operational in the waters off the east coast.
