January 18th Machine Factory
| Other Name: | 1월18일 기계공장, The 118 Factory, 1.18 Machinery Factory, the 18 January Machine Plant, January 18th Factory, Kagam-ri No. 118 Factory, Kakamni No. 118 Factory, Kag'am Plant, Kaech'ŏn Scud Factory, Kaech'ŏn Missile Factory |
|---|---|
| Location: | Kag'am-dong (각암동), Kaech'ŏn (개천시), South P'yŏng'an Province (평안남도), North Korea |
| Subordinate To: | Second Economic Committee (제2경제위원회), National Defense Commission (국방위원회) |
| Size: | A former worker at the factory reportedly said the facility is "so extensive that you can't see all of it if you walked around it all day." |
| Facility Status: | Unknown |
According to a source in the South Korean military, this factory produces Scud missile engines. Han Tŏk Su, former chairman of the pro-North Korean General Federation of Korean Residents in Japan (Choch'ongnyŏn), reportedly visited the January 18th Machine Factory in April 1987. His guide told him the facility had been built under an apartment complex, and that very few people living in Kaech'ŏn knew about the factory. Han was also told that the factory mainly produced missiles, tanks and motors. According to the South Korean Ministry of Unification, this factory produces rocket engines.
Sources:
[1] "Sunch'ŏn.Kaech'ŏn'e Missile Kongjang," Joongang Ilbo, 10 January 2000, www.joins.com;
[2] Kim In Ch'ŏl, "Chŏn Kim Il Sŏng T'ong'yŏkkwan'gyŏm Kowiwoe'gyo'gwan/Ko Yŏng Hwannŭn Malhanda: 6," Taehan Maeil, 9 October 1991, p. 5, in KINDS, www.kinds.or.kr;
[3] Seoul Shinmun (Taehan Maeil), 9 October 1991, p. 5, in "Defector on North's Nuclear Development," FBIS JPRS-TND-91-017, 7 November 1991, pp. 8-9;
[4] "N. Korea Goes Underground with Nuclear Plants," Washington Times, 25 October 1991, p. A11, in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, www.lexis-nexis.com;
[5] "Pukhan'ŭi Missile Kaebal Kunsa," Tongil News, 27 February 2001, www.tongilnews.com.
This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, or agents. Copyright © 2011 by MIIS.
Country Profile
North Korea
This article provides an overview of North Korea's historical and current policies relating to nuclear, chemical, biological and missile proliferation.
