Pyongyang satellite monitoring station...

In the northern Pyongyang suburb of Hyongjesan there are twelve large satellite dishes on a hillside. The dishes, easily visible in satellite photos, have been there for at least a decade and while their function is unknown, their close proximity to North Korea’s signals intelligence headquarters might be a clue to their purpose.

Some of the dishes have buildings next to them while others are surrounded by trees. Their exact size is difficult to determine, but most appear to be around 16- or 18-meters in diameter. That makes them large enough to receive signals from many satellites in orbit above Asia, but what are they being used for?

TV and telecommunications is thought to flow through the Pyongyang Earth Station, which is located in Sadong in the south of Pyongyang. It maintains North Korea’s links with the Intelsat and Intersputnik satellite systems. In the last few years there has also been significant expansion of the facilities at Pyongyang TV Tower, which went from just a handful of dishes in 2005 to currently more than 20.

Hyongjesan are the third large concentration of satellite dishes in Pyongyang.


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