This is jaw-droppingly false from South Korea’s national security adviser: “Once the Tongchang-ri missile facility is abolished completely, I can say with confidence that the North will not be able to launch an ICBM” koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/201…
North Korea has launched three ICBMs to date (2 x Hwasong-14/KN20, 1 x Hwasong-15/KN22); none of these launches have taken place from Tongchang-ri (Sohae).
Hard to view Mr. Chung’s comments as anything other than the politicization of intelligence; NIS & MOD senior staff (also appointed by Pres. Moon Jae-in) offer sharply divergent assessments.
I just spoke to a reporter about this NIS/MOD–NSO debate on North Korean TELs. The whole thing is so baffling; North Korea began using firing tables largely to protect valuable, irreplaceable assets. In a conflict, when TEL preservation isn’t a priority, they can skip that.
Also, the irreplaceability of TELs is not constant and clearly something North Korea is working to get away from. The “Korean-style” heavy launcher is coming soon.
I'd be curious if these words are directly attributable to Mr. Chung. It's a shame we don't get transcripts of these briefings.
