The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) cited commercial satellite imagery it says shows the facility and a nearby underground structure have the capacity to accommodate North Korea’s largest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that experts believe are able to strike anywhere in the United States.

The facility has been under construction since 2016 and includes a number of notable features, including an unusually large covered rail terminal and buildings that are linked by drive-through access, according to the CSIS report, published on Tuesday. The facility is also relatively close to ballistic missile component manufacturing plants in the Pyongyang area.

“Taken as a whole, these characteristics suggest that this facility is likely designed to support ballistic missile operations,” the report said, calling it the Sil-li Ballistic Missile Support Facility, Reuters reported.

The North Korean embassy in Beijing could not immediately be reached for comment on the report.

When asked about the report at a regular briefing in Seoul on Wednesday, a spokesman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it would be inappropriate to comment.

Negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs have been at a standstill since working-level meetings with the United States collapsed last year.

In 2018, North Korea said it closed its Punggye-ri nuclear test site, and last year it offered to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear complex in return for the revocation of five key UN resolutions during a failed summit between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Vietnam.

But experts and US officials say in the absence of a denuclearization deal, North Korea has continued to expand its arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

In recent months, North Korea has also warned it could rethink its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests and ICBM launches.

Located on the southwest corner of Pyongyang International Airport – approximately 17km (10 miles) northwest of the North Korean capital – the Sil-li facility encompasses approximately 442,300 square meters (4.76 million square feet), according to CSIS.

“A high-bay building within the facility is large enough to accommodate an elevated Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile and, therefore, the entirety of North Korea’s known ballistic missile variants,” the report said.

“The facility has been constructed next to an underground facility whose likely size is also large enough to easily accommodate all known North Korean ballistic missiles and their associated launchers and support vehicles.”

The buildings are connected by a wide surfaced road network that could help move large trucks and ballistic missile launchers, the report said.

North and South Korea on Saturday exchanged gunfire around a rural guard post, raising tension a day after North Korean state media showed Kim visiting a factory, the first report of him making a public appearance since April 11.

North Korea launched multiple short-range anti-ship cruise missiles into the sea and Sukhoi jets fired air-to-surface missiles on April 14.

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War with North Korea comes closer as Pyongyang has promised a possible “Christmas surprise” missile test if Washington does not come to the negotiating table, noting it would not give in to the US’ pressure since it already has “nothing to lose.”

In response, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said at a press conference Friday that the United States was ready “to fight tonight.”

The Pentagon chief, however, said, “I remain hopeful that we could get the process started again and remain on the diplomatic path.”

Meanwhile, General Mark Milley, who was next to Esper, said, the US alliance with Japan and South Korea is “rock-solid,” noting, “I think it’s prepared to defend the interests of the United States, Japan, and South Korea at a moment’s notice.”

Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went on to say that “North Korea has indicated a variety of things. And I think you’re aware of all those. So we are prepared for whatever.”

“Korea is one of those places in the world where we’ve always maintained high levels of readiness.”

The negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have been largely stalled since the collapse of a February summit in Hanoi between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The North Korean leader and Trump have already held two official meetings on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. However, their first meeting, the Singapore Summit held in June 2018, concluded with a broadly-worded agreement, and the second one, the Hanoi Summit, held in February, collapsed without an agreement.

The North has been under multiple rounds of harsh sanctions by the UN and the US over its nuclear and missile programs.

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The news agency also said that North Korea believes that the US has done a stupid thing by convening the UN Security Council, adding that it is nothing more than a political tool of US interests, Sputnik reported.

Pyongyang is ready to respond to any corresponding measure that the US chooses, the KCNA said.

“The United States said about corresponding measure at the meeting, as we have said we have nothing to lose and we are ready to respond to any corresponding measure that the US chooses,” said its state news agency KCNA citing a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

On Wednesday, US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft said at the UNSC meeting on non-proliferation that her country was ready to be flexible during the denuclearization talks with North Korea.

“We have not asked N. Korea to do everything before we do anything. We are prepared to be flexible, but we cannot solve this problem alone,” Craft said.

Last week, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN said that denuclearization was off the table in negotiations with the US. This prompted US President Donald Trump to urge North Korea to denuclearize in accordance with the previously made agreement.

In November, North Korea fired two short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast, marking the fourth test of its “super-large multiple-rocket launcher.” The test came as the year-end deadline set by N. Korea for the US to show flexibility in the stalled denuclearization talks is fast-approaching.

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