North Korea builds underground KN-23 missile plant for Russia

Satellite imagery shows that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea completed a new underground structure inside Factory No. 11 in Hamhung. The building, roughly 65 × 35 m and two to three stories high, was erected over about 18 months and then covered with earth, creating a concealed production site.

Analysts say the facility is intended for the manufacture of short‑range ballistic missiles KN‑23 (known in the North as Hwasong‑11). The move expands Pyongyang’s missile‑making capacity and improves protection against satellite surveillance and potential strikes. It aligns with North Korea’s stated goal to boost missile output and reflects its deepening military cooperation with the Russian Federation, which has been receiving KN‑23 missiles for use in the war in Ukraine. North Korean authorities have not confirmed the purpose of the new site.