Pyongyang warehouse fire shows up on satellites as state media silent
Published: 11 Nov. 2025, 16:09
Updated: 11 Nov. 2025, 16:28
![A high-resolution satellite image shows a fire in central Pyongyang on Nov. 2, and damage observed the following day. [SI-ANALYTICS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/d81480c2-2364-4d7a-b552-a19e5d9d62e0.jpg)
A high-resolution satellite image shows a fire in central Pyongyang on Nov. 2, and damage observed the following day. [SI-ANALYTICS]
A fire broke out at what appeared to be a factory or warehouse near a key landmark in central Pyongyang earlier this month, with satellite views revealing significant damage and prompting analysis from the South Korean government and foreign observers.
Commercial satellite imagery captured by Planet Labs at 11:50 a.m. on Nov. 2 shows thick black smoke rising from the site, according to a report published on Monday by NK News, an outlet specializing in North Korea.
The blaze occurred near the Ryugyong Hotel and the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Potonggang District, a densely populated area in the North Korean capital.
NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System also detected elevated heat levels in the same area at 10:34 a.m. on Nov. 2.
The timing of the two satellite detections suggests the fire burned for at least an hour, according to NK News.
North Korean state media has made no mention of the incident, and the precise cause and scale of the damage remain unconfirmed.
“Burn marks measuring approximately 50 by 50 meters (164 feet by 164 feet) had been identified on Nov. 2 in the area based on satellite imagery,” a South Korean Ministry of Unification official said. “We will need to conduct further analysis with relevant agencies to determine specific details such as the extent of the damage.”
SI Analytics, the satellite image analysis firm that first detected the fire, described the site in a Nov. 7 report as a small-scale facility handling flammable materials.
Jacob Bogle, a U.S.-based analyst who monitors North Korean infrastructure through satellite imagery, also told NK News that the building was “almost certainly a small warehouse or factory,” adding that he believes “it was an accident related to normal operations such as a random spark. Maybe a chemical container caught fire.”
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, said the incident may reflect broader structural risks in Pyongyang.
“This case suggests that as Pyongyang becomes more densely populated through large-scale housing developments, accidents may become more frequent,” Lim said. “The situation could also be linked to improved logistics and fuel access, particularly as trade with Russia expands.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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