--- title: "Key Sites & Strategic Facilities in North Korea | Save North Korea" description: "Comprehensive directory of North Korea’s strategic installations: nuclear complexes, undeclared missile operating bases, border crossing points, regime monuments, and economic zones." url: "https://savenorthkorea.org/places" language: en translations: en: https://savenorthkorea.org/places ko: https://savenorthkorea.org/ko/places ja: https://savenorthkorea.org/ja/places zh-Hans: https://savenorthkorea.org/zh/places --- Strategic geography # Key sites in North Korea Where the bombs are made, where the missiles launch from, where power sits and where people cross the border. - [**4** Nuclear ](#nuclear) - [**14** Missile & space ](#missile) - [**3** Regime ](#regime) - [**5** Border & crossings ](#border) - [**4** Economy ](#economy) [ Open the intel map](https://savenorthkorea.org/map#sites=yongbyon) Nuclear Missile & space Regime Border & crossings Economy ## Nuclear 4 Reactors, enrichment, test site, uranium - [![Yongbyon nuclear complex](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/yongbyon.jpg) Nuclear **Yongbyon nuclear complex** Operating The heart of the nuclear program: reactors that make plutonium, a reprocessing plant and a uranium enrichment hall. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/yongbyon) - [ © Esri, Maxar Nuclear **Kangson enrichment site** Operating Suspected covert uranium enrichment plant near Pyongyang. Kim Jong Un visited an enrichment facility in 2024 in a rare public photo-op. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/kangson) - [![Punggye-ri nuclear test site](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/punggye-ri.jpg) Nuclear **Punggye-ri nuclear test site** Restored, ready for a 7th test All six nuclear tests (2006-2017) happened here. Tunnels were blown up for cameras in 2018, then repaired. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/punggye-ri) - [ © Esri, Maxar Nuclear **Pyongsan uranium mill** Operating Mines and processes uranium ore into yellowcake, the raw material for the enrichment program. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/pyongsan) ## Missile & space 14 Launch sites, test grounds, submarine base - [![Sohae Satellite Launching Station](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/sohae.jpg) Missile & space **Sohae Satellite Launching Station** Operating, expanding Main space launch site, also used for rocket engine tests. Launched the Malligyong-1 spy satellite in 2023. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/sohae) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground** Mostly idle East coast launch site used for early long-range rocket tests (1998, 2006, 2009). ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/tonghae) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Sinpo shipyard** Operating Submarine base and shipyard where submarine-launched ballistic missiles (Pukguksong) are built and tested. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/sinpo) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Kusong testing ground** Operating Inland missile test area used for Hwasong-12 and other launches. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/kusong) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Sunan (Pyongyang airport)** Operating Pyongyang’s international airport doubles as an ICBM launch pad. Several Hwasong-15 and -17 shots were fired from here. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/sunan) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Sinpung-dong Missile Operating Base** Active Approximately 27 kilometers from the China-North Korean border, the Sinpung-dong Missile Operating Base is an undeclared North Korean missile base. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/sinpung) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Yongnim Missile Operating Base** Active Located 242 kilometers north of the demilitarized zone and only 65 kilometers from the Chinese border, the Yongnim Missile Operating Base is an undeclared ballistic… ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/yongnim) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Hoejung-ni Missile Operating Base** Active Located 338-kilometers north of the demilitarized zone and only 25-kilometers from the Chinese border in Chagang Province, the Hoejung-ni missile operating base… ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/hoejung-ni) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Yusang-ni Missile Operating Base** Active Located 150 kilometers north of the DMZ, North Korea's Yusang-ni missile operating base is one of the more recently constructed Strategic Force missile operating… ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/yusang-ni) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Kal-gol Missile Operating Base** Active Located approximately 52 kilometers north of the DMZ and 125 kilometers north of Seoul, the Kal-gol missile operating base is one of the most developed of North… ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/kal-gol) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Kumchon-ni Missile Operating Base** Active New CSIS Beyond Parallel imagery shows the undeclared Kumchon-ni missile operating base. This is the first comprehensive public description of the base. During… ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/kumchon-ni) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Sangnam-ni Missile Operating Base** Active Located 250 kilometers north of the DMZ, Sangnam-ni missile operating base is an operational missile base that houses a battalion- or regiment-sized unit equipped… ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/sangnam-ni) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Sino-ri Missile Operating Base** Active Located 212 kilometers north of the DMZ, Sino-ri is an operational missile base that houses a regiment-sized unit equipped with Nodong-1/-2 medium-range ballistic… ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/sino-ri) - [ © Esri, Maxar Missile & space **Sakkanmol Missile Operating Base** Active Sakkanmol is an undeclared North Korean operational missile base for short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) and is one of approximately 20 undeclared missile sites… ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/sakkanmol) ## Regime 3 Seats and symbols of power in Pyongyang - [![Kumsusan Palace of the Sun](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/kumsusan.jpg) Regime **Kumsusan Palace of the Sun** Mausoleum where the embalmed bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie in state. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/kumsusan) - [![Kim Il Sung Square](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/kim-il-sung-square.jpg) Regime **Kim Il Sung Square** Site of the military parades where new missiles are often shown for the first time. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/kim-il-sung-square) - [![Ryugyong Hotel](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/ryugyong.jpg) Regime **Ryugyong Hotel** 105-story pyramid started in 1987 and still not open. A symbol of the regime’s priorities. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/ryugyong) ## Border & crossings 5 Where people cross into China, and the DMZ - [![Hyesan](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/hyesan.jpg) Border & crossings **Hyesan** Border city on the Yalu, across from China’s Changbai. Historically a major smuggling and crossing point, now heavily fenced. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/hyesan) - [ © Esri, Maxar Border & crossings **Musan** Mining county on the Tumen River, a common crossing area. Several well-known escapees came from here. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/musan) - [![Hoeryong](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/hoeryong.jpg) Border & crossings **Hoeryong** Border city on the Tumen. The river is narrow here, so it was a frequent crossing point before new fences went up after 2020. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/hoeryong) - [ © Esri, Maxar Border & crossings **Sinuiju–Dandong bridge** The Friendship Bridge over the Yalu. Most legal trade with China goes through here, and so does a lot of smuggled media. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/sinuiju) - [![Panmunjom (Joint Security Area)](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/jsa.jpg) Border & crossings **Panmunjom (Joint Security Area)** The truce village in the DMZ. A soldier escaped across it under fire in 2017. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/jsa) ## Economy 4 Mines, zones and showcase projects - [ © Esri, Maxar Economy **Musan iron mine** One of the largest open-pit iron mines in Asia. Ore exports to China were a big source of hard currency before sanctions. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/musan-mine) - [![Kaesong Industrial Region](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/kaesong-ic.jpg) Economy **Kaesong Industrial Region** Closed since 2016 Joint zone where South Korean companies employed over 50,000 North Korean workers. Shut down in 2016\. The North blew up the nearby liaison office in 2020. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/kaesong-ic) - [ © Esri, Maxar Economy **Wonsan-Kalma resort** Opened 2025 Beach resort Kim Jong Un pushed for years, opened in 2025 mostly for Russian tourists. Also near a common missile launch area. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/kalma) - [![Rason special economic zone](https://savenorthkorea.org/img/places/rason.png) Economy **Rason special economic zone** Free trade zone where North Korea borders both China and Russia. The rail and road link to Russia runs through here. ](https://savenorthkorea.org/places/rason)