North Korea Defence Forum

[Galactic Penguin SST]

On the occasion of the most auspicious 15 April 2021 Day of the Sun, some hints that North Korea is still in the manned space race have been published.

International Day of Human Space Flight
2021-04-12 April 12 is International Day of Human Space Flight. Sixty years ago, Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, an astronaut of the former Soviet Union, was carried into outer space by a spacecraft, named Vostok. Within 108 minutes of flight, the spacecraft made a round of the Earth and performed successful re-entry into the atmosphere. Thus, space flight, a long dream of the mankind, has been realized and space science and technology entered a new stage of its development. Following Gagarin, several astronauts of other countries succeeded in space flight. In October 2000, the first crew arrived at the space station and, until now, astronauts stay there. In 2011, the UN General Assembly set April 12 as International Day of Human Space Flight and made a decision on celebrating the day every year on a global scale. On the occasion of the day, colourful events are held, including photo exhibition, symposium and publication of commemorative stamps. In Juche 87 (1998), the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launched its first artificial earth satellite successfully and later several other satellites by relying on its own efforts, technology and resources. It briskly conducts scientific research to receive observation data from satellites and introduce them into several sectors of the national economy. Symposiums on space science and technology, including the space science and technology symposium-2020 in November last year, are held every year under the sponsorship of the Central Committee of the General Federation of Science and Technology of Korea, and cutting-edge systems of satellite image and data and geographic information analysis and other software are being developed. Achievements in space science and technology are promoting the development of the national economy, and they are widely introduced in several sectors of social culture, including science, education and public health service.
http://web.archive.org/web/20210413051438/http://www.naenara.com.kp/main/index/en/first https://archive.is/KBFUv https://archive.is/KBFUv/50f5d092ee302167b355288837ad54fbcc600f90/scr.png https://archive.ph/guYn1 https://archive.ph/guYn1/38376486d7aa65eff358d8041cbe5e5e89335de6/scr.png http://web.archive.org/web/20210413051504/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ey0pDHYVEAIwUFd?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

https://archive.ph/3nz6Z/e2f407d10b8c5aa99b5c97f6f0a9f5ca2215f170.jpg ; https://archive.ph/3nz6Z/eb06c1cc2ad4df6f5874157ebfcc3e3649abc628/scr.png ;
http://web.archive.org/web/20210413051708/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EuV8ILHWQAQI4LX?format=jpg&name=small ; https://twitter.com/DPRK_CAODEBENOS/status/1361632344084512769
▲ 1. Dear Leader Kim Jong Il leading the way.

North Korean manned spacecraft

Obviously as different from the Iranian Kavoshgar-10 capsule as the Paektusan-1 SLV was different from Iran's Safir-1 SLV!

As depicted back in 2017, from a mysterious Japanese account possibly related to Chongryon.

https://archive.ph/ActC5/2981e9cfc470149bf4e75146398aa4c1f15fdb09.jpg ; https://archive.ph/ActC5/b0fefd7a7dd16b82d867ed4d6fd10ee7624229b2/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20210401133125/https://i.imgur.com/mGaCr6i.jpg ; https://archive.ph/mDSt4/842e3de1085a41a1b8569bc61170b23b79d24119/scr.png ; https://archive.ph/mDSt4 ; https://i.pximg.net/img-original/img/2017/05/03/13/58/20/62711716_p0.jpg ; https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/62711716
▲ 2. North Korean manned spacecraft: 朝鲜飞船. May 3, 2017 6:58 AM

Compared to the Russian OGCh 1'700 kg 8F021 orbiting warhead。

_____
▲ 3. The 1'700 kg 8F021 orbiting warhead had the Russian acronym OGCh。

Compared to the Chinese Shuguang-1 (Dawn One) manned spacecraft (code-named Project 714):

https://archive.vn/ErbjG/d1acbc4f6e375bda584cf2ef255d019faab33ed5.jpg; https://archive.vn/ErbjG/e723dd9a0e5cf18563ff99dbde5794feaed1d12d/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20201110202729/http://ipic.su/jGLT.jpg
▲ 4. The Shuguang-1 (Dawn One) manned spacecraft (code-named Project 714) was piloted by two astronauts and had a maximum flight time of eight days. It was planned to launch an unmanned spacecraft in 1973 and a manned spacecraft in 1974. The Shuguang-1 was lanched by the Dongfeng-6 Orbiting Missile.

https://archive.ph/PTAbP/f7bd9fa91ee3cae4a21870b0b6166a03f517f815.jpg ; https://archive.ph/PTAbP/6de664f135c45e0e62f751997b5fb557ea6e47e6/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20210329112827/https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51070245651_5c42b6ea91_c.jpg ; https://www.flickr.com/photos/uriminzok/51070245651/ ; 국제태권도련맹창립 55돐기념 태권도기술강습 진행 (1) ; March 22, 2021
▲ 5. North Korea officially promoted as advanced developed nation by 2032.

Meanwhile some soothing news worth reading to keep oneself awake while practising social distancing:

The worst spaceflight disasters in human history

A total of 18 astronauts have lost their lives during a space mission, in four separate incidents.

4. On 24 April 1967, the Soviet astronaut Vladimir Komarov died after the one-day Soyuz 1 mission that was plagued from start by a series of mishaps with the new spacecraft type, culminating with its parachute not opening properly after atmospheric reentry. Komarov was killed when the capsule hit the ground at high speed.

3. On 30 June 1971, the Soviet crew of 3 astronauts aboard Soyuz 11 were killed after undocking from space station Salyut 1 after a three-week stay. A cabin vent valve construction defect caused it to open at service module separation. The recovery team found the crew dead. These three are (as of 2021) the only human fatalities in space above 100 kilometers.

2. On 28 January 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster caused by a launch booster failure, resulting in vehicle disintegration was the most devastating death toll to date for a manned spaceflight with 7 astronauts. This also delayed for nearly 3 years all U.S. manned spaceflights.

1. The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was a fatal disaster in the United States space program that occurred on 1st February 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere, killing all seven crew members. The disaster was the second fatal accident in the Space Shuttle program, after the 1986 breakup of Challenger soon after liftoff.
This catastrophe totally discredited the space shuttle as a viable space transportation system, ending with its final flight on July 2011.
Leaving the U.S. without any manned space launcher for a decade, until the advent of the SpaceX Crew Dragon on 16 November 2020, but with a much decreased cargo capacity, compared to the space shuttle.

The Columbia Disaster Was Worse Than You Thought
1,190,789 views •Apr 27, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXiZ3RHR3bg

But, what was even worse if one consider that military or civilian casualties covered by state secrecy inflict lesser national humiliation and loss of international prestige, was the death of one's first ever astronaut televised live worldwide.
Ilan Ramon, a colonel in the Israeli Air Force was the first Israeli astronaut, and was killed in the re-entry accident with all the six other crew members.
With Ilan Ramon's death, Israel is to this day, the only nation in the world among the 40 countries that have flown in space, to have lost its first ever astronaut during a maiden spaceflight.

https://archive.vn/9wZvQ/9eacdc743affd740f9ccb6630d1019990983c782.jpg ; https://archive.vn/9wZvQ/be2e271db6c250cacebbb47411afa8e8dcb9b9a0/scr.png ; https://web.archive.org/web/20210404233515/https://i.imgur.com/sUo6A7t.jpg
▲ 6. With Ilan Ramon's death, Israel is to this day, the only nation in the world to have lost its first ever astronaut during a maiden spaceflight.

Source:

List of spaceflight-related accidents and incidents - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A further 13 astronauts have died during training and testing for spaceflight. The most notorious disaster was a fire on the launch pad of the Apollo 1 mission in January 1967, killing all the crew.

Has anyone ever died in space?

A total of 18 people have lost their lives either while in space or in preparation for a space mission, in four separate incidents. Given the risks involved in space flight, this number is surprisingly low.

www.newscientist.com

Conclusion

Iran, North Korea, Japan, Thailand, Turkey and India can all attempt to launch their first indigenous astronaut without running the risk of beating the spaceflight hall of shame record, that would probably be held by the Israelis forever.

In the case of North Korea, a suborbital flight is much less risky than one onboard the U.S. space shuttle for an orbital flight.

Indeed, no space powers would ever try to launch more than one astronaut at the first space mission.

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

A Tale of Two Asia


News from west Asia, when some are still struggling to reach the 60% U-235 enrichment threshold:

Natanz attack hit 50 meters underground, destroyed most of the facility
The attack was reportedly carried out through a remotely detonated device smuggled into the facility. APRIL 13, 2021 22:15 The alleged Israeli attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility targeted an electrical substation located 40 to 50 meters underground and damaged “thousands of centrifuges,” Iranian officials revealed in recent days. Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, told Iranian media on Monday that the attack hit an electrical substation located deep underground and managed to damage both the power distribution system and the cable leading to the centrifuges in order to cut power to them. The Iranian official stressed that such an operation takes years, saying “the design of the enemy was very beautiful.” Davani added that the substation was built underground in order to protect it from air and missile strikes, and that the attack was carried out either via cyber, sabotaged equipment or sabotage committed by agents. The Jerusalem Post has learned that the attack was carried out through an explosive device that was smuggled into the facility and detonated remotely. An intelligence official told The New York Times on Tuesday that the attack took out both the primary and backup electrical systems. Davani confirmed on Monday that the attack last July was also carried out with explosives that were smuggled into a centrifuge assembly facility at the site, with the explosives embedded in a heavy table that was brought into the facility. Ali Rabiei, the spokesperson for the Iranian government, stated on Tuesday that the attack was “not an external attack” and that a “traitor” has been identified, adding that “the necessary measures are being taken.” An informed official in the Iranian Intelligence Ministry told the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency on Monday that the identity of the disruption’s cause had been found and that “necessary measures are being taken to arrest the main cause of the disruption in the electricity system of the Natanz complex.” Alireza Zakani, head of Iran’s Parliament Research Center, announced in a television interview on Tuesday that “thousands of centrifuges” had been destroyed, damaging “most of the enrichment facilities.” Zakani additionally claimed that some equipment had been sent abroad and “returned with 300 pounds of explosives,” and that explosives had been placed inside a desk, similar to Davani’s claim about the attack in another facility at Natanz last July. The parliamentarian expressed outrage that the attack had succeeded and called for uranium enrichment to be increased to 60% in response. Davani explained that in a similar attack at the Fordow nuclear facility in 2012, power lines from the city of Qom were cut by an explosion, so they had anticipated such an attack and had stored fuel for producing electricity for three months in case such an incident occurred. The former AEO head, who now serves on the Iranian Parliament’s energy commission, survived an assassination attempt in 2010 in which bombs were attached to the side of his car by men on motorcycles. Another nuclear scientist, Majid Shahriari, was killed in a similar attack the same day. Davani reportedly worked closely with Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran’s top nuclear scientist, who was killed in an assassination blamed on Israel last year. Additionally on Monday, Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for the AEO, told Iranian media that he had injured his ankle and head while visiting the Natanz facility after the attack when he fell into a seven-meter-deep hole that had been covered with metal. It is unclear whether the hole was related to the explosion. EXPLOSIVES WERE used to completely destroy the internal power system at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility in an alleged Israel operation, two intelligence officials told The New York Times on Sunday night. The explosion caused severe damage to the site and it could take at least nine months to restore production at the facility, according to the officials. The Wall Street Journal said the Biden Administration was given no advance notice about the attack. The White House said on Monday that it was not involved in the attack. The WSJ report added that destruction of the power supply in the attack could have damaged or destroyed centrifuges by causing them to slow down too rapidly. A number of former Israeli security officials expressed concern at the leaks being shared about the attack, with former Mossad chief Danny Yatom warning, in an interview with Army Radio on Monday, that it could impact Israel’s operational capability. “If indeed this thing is the result of an operation involving Israel, this leak is very serious,” said Yatom. “It is detrimental to the Israeli interest and the fight against Iranian attempts to acquire nuclear weapons. There are actions that must remain in the dark.” “Once Israeli officials are quoted, it forces the Iranians to take revenge,” warned Yatom. “If the Iranians start investigating with the publication hovering over their heads that the people behind the attack are the Israelis or the Americans, they will leave no stone unturned. This has an impact on our operational capability.” IRANIAN OFFICIALS have downplayed the significance of the attack, with several officials stressing that the impacted centrifuges were first-generation machines that would be replaced with more advanced ones. Iran’s permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Kazem Gharibabadi, claimed on Monday that enrichment had not stopped at Natanz, despite foreign media reports to the contrary. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif complained to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the attack, calling it “nuclear terrorism and a war crime.” “Israel’s efforts aimed at preventing the revival of the international nuclear deal JCPOA, after the US presidential elections, was initially reflected in threats, which have now materialized,” said Zarif, according to Iranian media. The foreign minister added that Iran had accelerated its retaliatory measures against US sanctions in response to the attack. The attack on the Natanz nuclear facility by Israel was a “very bad gamble” which will strengthen Tehran’s hand in talks with major powers to revive the JCPOA nuclear deal, Zarif stated on Tuesday during a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart in Tehran. Saeed Khatibzadeh, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated on Monday that Iran would respond to the attack “in its own time.” “The regime has been carrying out some actions and some news leaks in the last few months. Its goals are clear and not hidden from the elites and intellectuals of Iran,” added Khatibzadeh. “The foreign minister and our delegation are following up on this issue and actions will be announced today or tomorrow. Some actions will be taken in their undisclosed way [and] may never be said.” An analysis published in the Iranian Kayhan newspaper, which is tied to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called for the government to withdraw from the talks on the nuclear deal in Vienna and to punish Israel as a “decisive and deterrent response to the enemy’s sinister plan.” THIS IS the second attack on Natanz that foreign reports have blamed on Israel within the past year, with an explosion and fire at a facility at the site in July reportedly impacting Iran’s nuclear program significantly. The facility that was struck this week was a new one built at the site to replace the one hit last year. Iran is still nowhere near having recovered to the point where it had been before that July 2020 explosion in terms of its capacity for assembling new advanced centrifuges, The Jerusalem Post recently reported. The most recent attack against Natanz took place a day after Iran began injecting uranium hexafluoride gas into advanced IR-6 and IR-5 centrifuges at Natanz and was revealed as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was visiting Israel. Tensions are rising between Israel and Iran amid a number of attacks on Iranian and Israeli maritime vessels, with recent reports claiming that Israel has hit dozens of Iranian ships in recent years. Tensions were already high between the two nations after the Fakhrizadeh assassination and reported attempts by Iran to carry out revenge attacks on Israeli embassies around the world. The report also comes as Iran meets with European and American officials to discuss a possible return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name for the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 between the Islamic Republic and world powers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned multiple times in the past week that Israel would defend itself against Iranian threats, stressing that Jerusalem would work to combat Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. The prime minister called for the security cabinet’s first meeting in two months next Sunday to discuss Iran amid increased tensions with Tehran. Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.
http://web.archive.org/web/20210413204122/https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/natanz-attack-destroyed-facility-50-meters-underground-664979 https://archive.ph/I1TKi

Meanwhile time is running out for the minor third world's nations.

After 2027, when the U.S. Starlink orbital array of 42'000 satellites will be completed, no firewall will be able stop the Color Revolution 2.0!

https://archive.is/DasEZ/8ba6fe317661491b7cd99c320ed9b1d1acb30f1e.jpg ; https://archive.is/DasEZ/519128ae431b3055e9b5bf356a0b1da53bb14c95/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20210329124353/https://i.imgur.com/eVZfac8.jpg
▲ 1. After 2027, when the U.S. Starlink orbital array of 42'000 satellites will be completed, no firewall will be able stop the imperialists' Color Revolution 2.0! 5 April 2021.

In 6 years time from now, in East Asia:

North Korea may be considering resumption of nuclear testing this year: U.S. report
April 14, 2021 WASHINGTON, April 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea may be considering whether it should resume its nuclear and long-range missile testing this year as it seeks to deal with the new U.S. administration on its own terms, a U.S. intelligence report said Tuesday. The report from the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) also noted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may take a "number of aggressive" actions. "Kim may be considering whether to resume long-range missile or nuclear testing this year to try to force the United States to deal with him on Pyongyang's terms," said the 2021 report on annual threat assessment. "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may take a number of aggressive and potentially destabilizing actions to reshape the regional security environment and drive wedges between the United States and its allies — up to and including the resumption of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing," it added.
http://web.archive.org/web/20210413205017/https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210414000300325?section=nk%2Fnk https://archive.ph/YvzDY

And the logical just reward for the most wise leadership and endeavors:

North Korea could have up to 242 nuclear weapons by 2027: report
April 13, 2021 SEOUL, April 13 (Yonhap) -- North Korea could have up to 242 nuclear weapons and dozens of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) by 2027, a research report said Tuesday, calling for South Korea and the United States to weigh "all options" to counter the evolving threats. The Asan Institute for Policy Studies and the Rand Corp. made the estimate in a joint report, stressing "serious" considerations should be given to deploying tactical nuclear arms in the South and other measures to deter the North's possible attempt at nuclear warfare. The report came amid signs of worrisome activity at the North's east coast shipyard seen as a site for submarine launched ballistic missile tests and after a U.N. panel report that Pyongyang continues to develop its nuclear and missile programs. "It is estimated that the total number of North Korea's nuclear weapons by 2027 would be between 151 and 242, in addition to tens of mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles," the report, titled "Countering the Risks of North Korean Nuclear Weapons," said. The report based its estimate on the amount of fissile material, such as plutonium and highly enriched uranium, which Pyongyang is believed to have produced. It cited such data as the U.S. intelligence community's estimate and other known analysis. "We estimate North Korea's number of nuclear weapons from 2017 through 2027, with the starting value of 30 to 60 nuclear weapons in 2017, with one to two plutonium weapons added by 2020, and with the numbers growing by either 12 weapons per year or 18 weapons per year," the report said. The report, however, noted the need for caution in drawing conclusions on the North's inventory, citing "vast uncertainties," such as the fact that its estimate is not based on the actual production of nuclear arms, and the uncertain number of operational centrifuges used to produce highly enriched uranium. The report warned that with further advances in its nuclear capability, the North will be able to employ the nuclear threats and attacks in "much more coercive and diverse ways," such as preemptive nuclear strikes. To fend off the North's nuclear warfare attempts, the report called for Seoul and Washington to consider options such as dedicating U.S. strategic nuclear weapons to targeting the North and deploying U.S. intermediate ballistic missiles with nuclear weapons in or near South Korea and stationing tactical nuclear weapons here. The report also stressed the need for the allies to consider "putting all options" on the table to maximize the effectiveness of their efforts against the North's nuclear weapons use. "The United States could also threaten North Korea that if it crosses an ICBM or nuclear weapon inventory threshold, or both, the United States will station in the ROK eight to ten tactical nuclear weapons capable of destroying deep underground facilities," it added. ROK is South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. In addition, the report said that the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul should be delayed until the provision of nuclear weapons support to the South by the U.S. becomes certain. "Unlike in a conventional conflict, in a nuclear conflict, the ROK is not ready to take the principal role in confronting North Korea, especially in the initial stage of a contingency," the report said. "This is a key weakness that could lead the North Koreans to interpret the OPCON transition as a sign of faltering U.S. commitment to the defense of the ROK," it added.
http://web.archive.org/web/20210413204353/https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210413007200325?section=nk%2Fnk https://archive.ph/Fiszv

This means North Korea would rightfully rank the 5th nuclear military power in the world by 2027, right behind the U.S., Russia, China and France, from its current 9th position!

Enough to deter any aggressor! Well done Juche!

 

[bahadur999]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422980520154173446

 

[sahureka2]

launched 2 missiles from a rail car, traveled 800 km and hit a target in the sea.

Here at the web address of KCNA at the beginning of the news at 8 pm on North Korean TV the video of the launch
https://kcnawatch.org/kctv-archive/61434823c5de8/

 

[sahureka2]

The immortal Mig-15

 

[sahureka2]

Photo gallery of the materials exhibited at the "Exhibition for the development of state self-defense" 12 October 2021, including the new missile with gliding warhead

 

[sahureka2]

including systems for the navy including the Oto Melara 76/62 Compact clone, with stealth dome

 

[sahureka2]

even the video
interesting the first minute and 20 seconds, then from 29:00 Kim Jong-un visits the exhibition

 

[yugocrosrb95]

New Surface to Air Missile for Pon'gae-5

1500+ kilometer range Ground Launched Land Attack Cruise Missile

DPRK UAV's

 

[yugocrosrb95]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1481010890669445123

 

[Websorber]

North Korean HGV launch 11 January 2022

 

[sahureka2]

14 January 2022 North Korea fires railway-borne missiles

 

[BHAN85]

I dont understand why NK doesnt blackmail USA with publish all their missile and nuclear know-how freely in internet.

They have nothing to lost, but for USA it would be a real nightmare t0rrents with the design of NK missiles and nuclear weapons.

 

[Websorber]

 

[mack8]

Handover ceremony for 30 new 600mm MLRS has taken place:

https://bmpd.livejournal.com/4637585.html