General Description
The Musudan-ri missile site is North Korea's major test-launch facility and has been used to flight-test the Hwasŏng-5, Hwasŏng-6, Nodong, and the Paektusan-1. On 1 November 1999, Space Imaging, a US firm based in Colorado, captured satellite imagery of the area with its commercial IKONOS satellite. The imagery, released to the public in January 2000, revealed the site has a total area of about 9km2 with four main areas: one launch pad and tower, a missile assembly building, a range control facility, and a cluster of four or five small buildings. There is also an area for static engine tests, and possible a support area nearby. The NATO designations of Nodong and Taepodong for North Korea's missiles originated from No-dong and Taepo-dong, which are old names for the administrative villages or units within Musudan-ri. Intelligence analysts are said to have selected these names after they first spotted the missiles at those locations. Kim Kil Sŏn, a North Korean defector who worked as a reporter for the publications department of the Second Natural Science Institute, says the Musudan-ri facility is also known as the "Agricultural Test Site."

Reports claim construction of the site began around 1982 or 1983, and North Korean defector Im Yŏng Sŏn says construction of the launch pad was completed in 1985. At this time, North Korea needed a flight-test facility for its program to reverse-engineer and produce copies of the Scud-B. Previously, North Korea used a facility at Hwajin-ri (華進里), Pyŏngwŏn-kun (平原郡), South P'yŏng'an Province (平安南道) to test for anti-ship missiles and probably FROGs, surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and other rockets. However, Hawjin-ri had insufficient range for the Hwasŏng-5, which would enter Chinese territorial waters during a test. Furthermore, Pyongyang probably had other security and safety concerns since Hwajin-ri is relatively close to populated areas and to South Korea. Therefore, Musudan-ri, which is an isolated coastal area about 500Km from Japan's Noto peninsula, was selected as the new missile test location.

Construction
Construction of the facility continued off and on throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The 117th Construction Regiment under the Air Force Construction Bureau (空軍建設部) of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces. Construction of the launch pad was completed in 1985. During the early stage of construction, the site had an extremely rudimentary infrastructure, such as a few roads, a command bunker, a radar facility, and modest storage and support facilities. However, by the early 1990s the Musudan-ri site was reportedly expanded from 2km2 to 9km2 and the following infrastructure was added: a missile assembly facility, a fuel storage facility, a guidance and range control center, and tracking facilities.

Commercial satellite imagery from November 2000 revealed two additional buildings at the Musudan-ri site compared to the imagery of November 1999. A new building with a width of 10m and a length of 20m appeared in the northeast direction of a launch tower, as well as a new building attached to the existing missile assembly building. However, the exact functions of these new buildings and the implications remain unclear. In March 1999, satellite imagery collected by US intelligence reportedly revealed the construction of two concrete structures that are said to be possible storage and loading facilities for fuel and oxidizers. The outside of the buildings were completed in June 1999, and a pipeline connecting the structures to the launch pad was reportedly under construction in August 1999. The launch tower was also reportedly extended to a height of about 33 meters by August 1999, which indicates the pad could now be capable of launching the still untested Taepodong-2.

History of Major Missile Test Launches
According to Hajime Ozu, the first flight of a North Korean missile, an "indigenously modified Scud," occurred in April 1982 and was a failure. Hajime also says the first successful flight-test of an "indigenously produced Scud-B prototype" took place in April 1983. However, Hajime's claims have not been corroborated. The first confirmed flight-tests at Musudan-ri were in April 1984, and more tests were conducted in September. There is one unsubstantiated report of a Scud-C flight test in May 1986, but this appears to conflict with the missile's development timeline. The reported tests were failures: a Scud-C test in early 1990 and a Nodong test in May 1990. The Scud-C test report is unsubstantiated, and US satellite imagery is said to show burn marks on the launch pad after a Nodong had been spotted ready to launch at Musudan-ri. In June 1990, there was a reportedly successful flight test of the Hwasŏng-6 (Scud-C).

The following year, July 1991, the second test-launch of a Hwasŏng-6 (Scud-C) missile occurred in Kangwŏn Province from a mobile launcher, and not from the Musudan-ri test facility. There are reports of a flight-test failure in June 1992, most likely of the Nodong, but it is not clear whether the test was a failure or was simply cancelled. On 29 and 30 May 1993, North Korea tested the Nodong and three Hwasŏng-5/6 (Scud-B/C). All four missiles were launched from Musudan-ri and targeted at buoys in the Sea of Japan.

On 31 August 1998, North Korea launched a three-stage Paektusan-1 Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) with a range of 1,500km to 2,500km from Musudan-ri. The first stage reportedly impacted in the Sea of Japan approximately 253km from the launch site, and the second stage landed in the Pacific Ocean about 1,646km east of Musudan-ri. The first stage of the Paektusan-1 is believed to be a Nodong, and the second stage is believed to be a Scud variant. The third stage, which was solid fueled, separated from the second stage and ignited, but failed to place a small satellite, the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1, into orbit. North Korea has continually claimed that the satellite was successfully placed into orbit, and that it played songs praising Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. However, efforts by the United States, Russia, and others to locate the satellite have been unsuccessful.

Controversy over Functional Capability of the Musudan Site
The release of satellite imagery showing a relatively underdeveloped missile test facility at Musudan-ri in January 2000 spawned a controversial debate over the North Korean missile program. The Federation of American Scientists and others view the site as "primitive" and incapable of supporting a serious missile development program. This argument is based upon the lack of paved roads, railroad or port connections, propellant storage facilities, and permanent housing. On the other hand, critics argue that North Korea maintains a lot of facilities underground, and the satellite imagery may not disclose all of the facilities that support the testing facility. Furthermore, some argue that the launch of the Paektusan-1 on 31 August 1998 is an example of how little infrastructure is required to conduct missile launches that could threaten not only Japan but the United States as well.

	Updated May 2003

Key Sources:
Interview with North Korean defector Im Yŏng Sŏn by Daniel A. Pinkston, senior research associate, Center for Nonproliferation Studies, 14 December 2001, Seoul; Ch'oe Wŏn Ki, "[Ch'ojŏm] Musudan Missile Kiji Ŏddŏn Kos'inga?," Joongang Ilbo, 14 January 2000, <http://www.joins.com/>; "Taepodonggwa Musudan," Segye Ilbo, 26 December 1998, p. 7, in KINDS, <http://www.kinds.or.kr/>; Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr., "North Korea's Musudan-ri Launch Facility," Center for Defense and International Security Studies, 1999, <http://www.cdiss.org/>; "Two Facilities Seen at North Korean missile Base, Newspaper Says," Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 3 August 1999, in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com/>; Kyodo News Service, "Satellite Shows News Structure at N. Korean launch pad," Japan Economic Newswire, 16 May 2001, in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com/>; Kim Min Sŏk, "Puk Missile Shilhŏm Chaegae...Engine Yŏnsojinghu P'och'ak," Joongang Ilbo, 24 February 2000, p. 1, in KINDS, <http://www.kinds.or.kr/>; Shim Kyu Sŏn, "Ilchi 'Puk Taepodong 2 Ho Palsakiji Yŏllyojŏjang-Konggŭpshisŏl Kŏnsŏl'," Donga Ilbo, 4 August 1999, in KINDS, <http://www.kinds.or.kr/>; Hwang Yŏng Shik, "Puk Taepodong 2 Ho Kijijubyŏn Yŏllyojŏjangshisŏl Kŏnsŏl," Hankook Ilbo, 4 August 1999, p. 2, in KINDS, <http://www.kinds.or.kr/ >; "Pukhan Hambuk Hwadae'e Chiha Missile Kiji Kŏnsŏl-Tokyo Shinmun," Joongang Ilbo, 9 September 1998, p. 2, <http://www.joins.com/>; "[Ilchi] 'Taepodong 2 Ho Palsagiji Yŏllyo Pipe Kŏnsŏljung'," Chosun Ilbo, 3 August 1999, <http://www.chosun.com>; Hwang Sŏng Ki, "Puk Missile Palsakiji'e Yŏllyo Chuipshisŏl Kŏnsŏljung," Taehan Maeil, 4 August 1999, <http://www.kdaily.com>; Song Sang Kŭn, "[Puk Missile Kaebalhyŏnhwang-wiryŏk] Chunbi Kkŭt Shihŏmbalsayŏbu Chŏ'uljil," Donga Ilbo, 23 July 1999, <http://www.donga.com>; Chu Yong Sŏng, "Puk, Taepodong Missile Palsadae Kujomul," Joongang Ilbo, 16 May 2001, <http://www.joins.com/>; Federation of American Scientists, "North Korea Special Weapons Guide," <http://www.fas.org/>; Joseph C. Anselmo, "Commercial Images Detail North Korean Missile Site," Aviation Week & Space Technology, Vol. 152, No. 3, 17 January 2000, p. 414, in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com/ >; Lou Marano, "North Korean Missile Threat Assessed," United Press International, 28 February 2000, in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, <http://web.lexis-nexis.com/>.