Satellite imagery captured Monday shows North Korea’s Nampo Port and sections of the Taedong River completely frozen over, rendering ship traffic to Pyongyang virtually impossible, according to Korea University’s Atmospheric Environment Research Institute through the South Korean outlet Newsis.
NASA’s Sentinel-2 satellite detected solid ice and ice floes covering waters around Nampo Port and extending 10 kilometers west of the West Sea Lock, with frozen sections continuing eastward along the Taedong River toward central Pyongyang. The research institute, which monitors the imagery under contract with South Korea’s meteorological agency, assessed that vessel operations through Nampo into Pyongyang would be nearly impossible under current conditions.
Dr. Jung Yong-seung from the institute noted that while this winter has been relatively mild in South Korea—with temperatures in Cheongju, where the research center is located, reaching above 10°C on five occasions compared to typical winter lows of -16 to -18°C—the cold snap hit hard enough to freeze the strategic waterway. Monday’s minimum temperature in Cheongju reached -10.4°C before warming significantly.
“Starting today (Tuesday), Ipchun [the traditional beginning of spring], temperatures in the central region have jumped above 10°C and daylight hours have lengthened, so the ice and ice floes in the waters off Nampo and the Taedong River ice will gradually begin to melt,” Jung told Newsis.
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