The nuclear scientists behind North Korea’s missile program

THESE men, always seen at Kim Jong-un’s side, are the real reason the world needs to fear North Korea’s nuclear-powered regime.

THEY are Kim Jong-un’s rocket stars and regarded as national heroes.

And as speculation mounts North Korea is preparing for another missile test within days, western intelligence will be watching three men in particular.

Always by Kim’s side, they are the reason the world should be alarmed by North Korea’s nuclear-powered regime.

Recent footage released by North Korean state TV shows Ri Pyong-cool, Kim Jong-sik, and Jang Chang-ha receiving awards from the country’s leader for their work on the country’s missile program.

While CNN claims the footage may have given intelligence away to Kim’s rivals, one expert told news.com.au the ceremony was designed to consolidate the image of North Korea as a true nuclear power.

Director for Center for Performance Studies at UCLA Professor Suk-Young Kim said the key players in the missile test have been well known since the North Korean leader came into power.

“For me, the ceremony was the consistent continuation of the same policy (rewarding and treating scientists with respect) that Kim Jong-un has been upholding since his coming to power,” Prof Kim said.

“South Korean news outlets have been introducing who these men are since the early days of Kim Jong-un’s regime, and as such, they are already well known figures in the intelligence community. All three are on the sanctions list created by the UN, the US, and/or South Korea.”

This July 4, 2017 photo, distributed by the North Korean government shows what was said to be the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile in North Korea. Picture: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP

The author of Illusive Utopia said Kim Jong-sik is projected as the main hero of the successful missiles development.

“He is known to be the leading authority in developing ballistic missiles in North Korea,” she said.

“He personally directed the launching of the satellite Kwangmyungseong 4 in February 2016.”

She said Jang Chang-ha is seen as the actual executioner of missile launch events.

“He directs a group of scientists directly involved in the ICBM development and is seen at every missiles launch event,” Prof Kim said.

She added Ri Byung-chol seems to be the symbolic/political figurehead of these efforts.

“He was a commander at the North Korean Air Force and in 2014 was transferred to the Department of Military Engineering, which operates under the North Korean Workers’ Party. “

All men have been pictured at recent test launches right by their dear leader’s side.

In footage and images the men can be seen sharing cigarettes and hugs with their leader and have more privileges compared to other North Koreans.

Reuters revealed in May the three were already being watched by western intelligence agencies.

Journalist Ju-Min Park said the three are all key figures in Kim’s ambitious nuclear missile program.

“The three men have military, party and science credentials,” she said.

She also said they were considered national heroes within North Korea and have been hand-picked to bring the country’s nuclear program into the 21st Century.

Navy personnel sit in front of a submarine-launched Pukguksong ballistic missile (SLBM) as it is paraded across Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, last April. Picture: Wong Maye-E/AP

RAISING THE STAKES

North Korea sparked global alarm after it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile as Americans celebrated Independence Day.

According to the Korean Central News Agency Kim Jong-un said: “American bastards would be not very happy with this gift sent on the July 4 anniversary.”

The test marked a significant step towards Kim’s goal of developing a missile with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the United States in a move which alarmed experts and sparked global condemnation.

Just this week US officials claim increased activity at the western city of Kusong could indicate preparations for another missile test could take place within days.

Officials told Reuters that over the past week intelligence has spotted equipment, possibly for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or an intermediate-range missile, moving into Kuson.

Brendan Thomas-Noone, a research fellow at the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, said there have been lots of assessments and rumours going around that the North will try and conduct another test around 27 July.

Kim Jung-un applauds after the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in North Korea’s northwest on July 4. Picture: KRT/AP

The day is a national holiday in the DPRK and is celebrated to mark the end of the Korean War.

“They need to test and demonstrate one last aspect of their missile design and that is the re-entry vehicle for the warhead,” he said.

“This is really the last piece of the puzzle for them.”

WARNING GROWS

Meanwhile intelligence officials believe North Korea will have a reliable, intercontinental missile capable of carrying a nuclear weapon as early as next year, the Associated Press reported.

The Washington Post reported that a new confidential assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency trims two years off the timeline for when North Korea could strike North American cities with atomic weapons.

The assessment was triggered by recent North Korean missile tests that indicated the nation’s program was further along than expected.

The newspaper said that US officials who had seen the assessment said it concluded that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be able to produce a “reliable, nuclear-capable ICBM” program by sometime next year, allowing the program to move from prototype to assembly line.

— with wires/Reuters

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Kim Jong-un, second from right, inspects the preparation of the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile on July 4. Picture: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP