North Korea all tell, no show with spy satellite photos of U.S., South Korean sites

North Korea

Published: 26 Nov. 2023, 17:01 Updated: 26 Nov. 2023, 19:37

North Korea all tell, no show with spy satellite photos of U.S., South Korean sites

National Aerospace Technology Administration’s Pyongyang General Control Center on Wednesday. North Korea launched its spy satellite on Tuesday. [KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY]

North Korea touted the capabilities of its recently launched reconnaissance satellite over the weekend, claiming to have successfully captured images of major South Korean and U.S. military bases.

However, Pyongyang has yet to disclose any footage it claims to have taken, raising questions about the quality of the imagery.

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Saturday reported that the satellite Malligyong-1 photographed military and industrial targets in South Korea, including Jinhae, South Gyeongsang, Busan, Ulsan, Pohang, Daegu, and Gangneung, Gangwon, during its pass over the Peninsula between 9:59 a.m. and 10:02 a.m. the same morning.

The satellite allegedly captured images of the Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Carl Vinson, which had recently docked at a military base in Busan.

The USS Carl Vinson arrived in Busan on Tuesday, the same day North Korea launched its reconnaissance satellite.

The satellite capture of the USS Carl Vinson occurred a day after the South Korean Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Yang Yong-mo, met with U.S. Chief Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti on board the carrier in Busan.

It also claimed to have taken images of Hickam Air Force Base in Oahu, Hawaii, during its passage over the Pacific Island around 5:13 a.m. on Saturday.

The North Korean news agency claimed that the images were viewed by its leader, Kim Jong-un, who visited the National Aerospace Technology Administration’s Pyongyang General Control Center on Saturday, marking his third visit since the satellite's launch on Tuesday.

KCNA claimed that Kim had already viewed images of several South Korean and U.S. military bases on the Peninsula during his second visit to the center on Friday, including photos of Seoul, Pyeongtaek and Osan in Gyeonggi as well as Mokpo in South Jeolla and Gunsan in North Jeolla.

Seoul is home to the office of the South Korean president and the South Korean Ministry of Defense, while Pyeongtaek is the location of Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base in the world.

Osan is the site of a sprawling U.S. Air Force base, Mokpo is the base of a South Korean naval fleet, and Gunsan in North Jeolla plays host to a major air base used by the U.S. and South Korean air forces.

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.

The North Korean and South Korean authorities and the U.S. Space Force have confirmed that the North Korean satellite has successfully entered orbit.

North Korea had failed in two earlier attempts this year.

However, the spy satellite's imagery quality has yet to be confirmed.

Previous images released by North Korea and satellite components recovered by the South Korean and U.S. militaries from the debris of the failed launches have been subpar.

The camera components retrieved from the first launch in May had an estimated resolution of around three meters.

Reconnaissance satellites need resolutions of 1 meter or less.

When North Korea released images of Seoul taken by a prototype satellite launched in December last year, the grainy photos were widely mocked. The country has not disclosed any satellite images since then.

Neither the South Korean government nor the U.S. have commented on the North Korean claims regarding its satellite images.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, however, on Wednesday speculated that even if North Korea had successfully placed its satellite in orbit, it would take some time before the satellite could properly perform its reconnaissance mission.

Meanwhile, South Korea plans to launch its first domestically developed military reconnaissance satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Thursday.

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