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According to the CSIS report, if North Korea is embroiled in war either against the US-ROK alliance or Japan, the missiles in the Sinpung-dong could be deployed by the Korean People's Army Strategic Force (KPASF ) from various approved launch sites.

Hoejung-ni Base

The Hoejung-ni missile base is also located near the Chinese border (approximately 25 kilometers). Akin to Sinpung-dong, Hoejung-ni is strategically located near China to deter US-ROK forces from striking the facility, as damage could spill over and draw the Chinese military into a conflict.

Hoejung-ni is designed to support missile operations and deployment and is fitted for a regiment-sized KPASF unit. Construction in Chagang province began around 2003, and the facility was fully operational by 2021. Its main function is to serve as a secure site for missile storage and active deployment.

Due to the dense terrain of Hoejung-ni, the base is also strategically positioned with two underground storage facilities and two fortified checkpoint bunkers for the KPASF's missile deployments.

Yongjo-ri Base

The Yongjo-ri underground base, located only 27 kilometers from the Chinese border, is one of the older strategic operational facilities. Kim Il Sung, the initial founder of North Korea, reportedly had civilians removed from the area to convert it into a massive base sometime around the mid-1990s.

Yongjo-ri is fitted with 12 underground tunnels: six for missile storage and six for KPASF personnel and potential leadership. Mid-range Nodong missiles are known to be placed at Yongjo-ji's underground facilities. With each tunnel having an estimated five to six compartments, the facility should be able to hold 30-36 estimated ballistic missiles.

Instead of missile platforms, Yongjo-ri hosts mobile launchers that the KPASF could use tactically on the battlefield. Furthermore, Yongjo-ri is of key importance to Pyongyang as the base is suspected by US and South Korean intelligence agencies of being a site of uranium enrichment.

Strategic missile belts

The upshot of all these sites is that Pyongyang has turned its country into arguably the most militarized state in the world.

The missile sites the DPRK displays in state media are the ones the Kim Jong Un regime wants the world to know about, while South Korea, Japan and the US are using satellite imagery, human intelligence (HUMINT) and open-source data to locate additional hidden bases.