WASHINGTON – North Korea claimed Tuesday that its recently launched reconnaissance satellite had taken photographs of the White House, the Pentagon and key U.S. military facilities around the world, although questions remain about the technology’s capabilities.
Dictator Kim Jong Un personally reviewed the images, which were captured on Monday night, Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency propaganda service said.
“[Kim] It also received detailed satellite photographs of Naval Station Norfolk, the Newport News Shipyard and a Virginia airfield,” KCNA reported.
The Hermit Kingdom is known for bragging about its military and technological achievements.
North Korea announced in May that its first attempt to launch a spy satellite into orbit had failed, losing momentum after its first stage and crashing into the Yellow Sea.
In June, South Korea rescued its hostile neighbor’s first satellite from the waters west of the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Jong Un has personally reviewed images that North Korea’s reconnaissance satellite captured on Monday, according to reports. KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images North Korea claimed the satellite had taken photographs of the White House, the Pentagon and key US military facilities around the world. Maxar Technologies via @Maxar/Twitter
Analysis of its remains indicated that its technology was not advanced enough to be capable of conducting military espionage from space, despite Pyongyang’s claims, Seoul said this summer.
While the latest launch may be capable of capturing general snapshots, South Korea doubts its value as a reconnaissance asset, noting that the satellite’s imaging capabilities may offer little more value than Google Earth.
Technology experts of the time assumed that its camera could probably only recognize large targets, such as warships or military bases.
“[Kim] It also received detailed satellite photographs of Naval Station Norfolk, the Newport News Shipyard and a Virginia airfield,” KCNA reported. AP
In an apparent attempt to prove the authenticity of the new satellite images, KCNA claimed that “four U.S. Navy nuclear aircraft carriers and one British aircraft carrier were seen in photographs from Naval Station Norfolk and Newport News Shipyard.”
However, information on carriers’ port locations is publicly available.
For example, a quick Internet search by The Post revealed that HMS Prince of Wales, one of the United Kingdom’s two aircraft carriers, is currently in Norfolk, according to online fleet trackers.
Kim Jong Un (second from left) chats with senior officials while attending a banquet to celebrate the launch of the reconnaissance satellite. KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images
So far, there has been no third-party verification of the satellite’s capabilities, and North Korea has not made any of the alleged photos public.
But regardless of its surveillance capabilities, defense experts have said the launch alone could have benefited the Kim regime’s work to develop its nuclear, space and ballistic capabilities.
The satellite was launched using ballistic missile technology, which violated United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibiting North Korea from using such capabilities.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn