North Korea says spy satellite captured images of major targets in South Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits the National Aerospace Technology Administration’s Pyongyang General Control Center on Friday. [KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY]

North Korea on Saturday claimed that its newly deployed reconnaissance satellite has captured images of significant targets in South Korea, including Seoul, Pyeongtaek and Osan.

Pyeongtaek hosts the largest U.S. military base on the Korean Peninsula, while Osan serves as a crucial base for the U.S. Air Force.

North Korea also claimed to have photographed Mokpo in South Jeolla, the base of a South Korean naval fleet, and Gunsan in North Jeolla, a base for the South Korean Air Force.

According to the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korean leader Kim Jong-un examined the images captured by the spy satellite during his visit to the National Aerospace Technology Administration's Pyongyang General Control Center on Friday.

The KCNA reported that the spy satellite captured images of significant targets as it passed over the Peninsula between 10:15 a.m. and 10:27 a.m. on Friday.

However, North Korea has not released the actual images obtained by the reconnaissance satellite.

The launch of the spy satellite took place unexpectedly on Tuesday, marking North Korea's third attempt following two previous failures.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]