WASHINGTON – North Korea claimed on Tuesday that its recently launched reconnaissance satellite has captured images of the White House, the Pentagon and major US military installations around the world – although questions remain about the technology’s capabilities.
Dictator Kim Jong Un has personally reviewed the images, which were recorded late Monday, Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency propaganda service claimed.
“[Kim] also received detailed satellite images of Norfolk Naval Station, Newport News Dockyard, and the Virginia airport,” KCNA reported.
The Hermit Kingdom is notorious for lying 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 thrust after the first stage and crashing into the Yellow Sea.
In June, South Korea rescued its hostile neighbor’s first satellite from waters west of the Korean peninsula.
Kim Jong Un personally reviewed images captured by North Korean reconnaissance satellites on Monday, according to reports. KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images North Korea claims that the satellite has captured images of the White House, the Pentagon, and major US military installations around the world. Maxar Technologies via @Maxar/Twitter
Analysis of his remains showed that the technology was not advanced enough to be able to spy on the military from space, despite Pyongyang’s claims, Seoul said this summer.
While the latest launch may be capable of capturing general pictures, South Korea doubts its value as a reconnaissance asset — saying the satellite’s imaging capabilities may offer less value than Google Earth.
Technology experts at the time expected that the camera might only be able to recognize large targets such as warships or military bases.
“[Kim] also received detailed satellite images of Norfolk Naval Station, Newport News Dockyard, and the Virginia airport,” KCNA reported. AP
In an apparent attempt to prove the authenticity of the new satellite images, KCNA claimed that “four US Navy nuclear carriers and one British aircraft carrier were spotted in the Norfolk Naval Station and Newport News Dockyard photos.”
However, information on the location within the carrier’s port is publicly available.
For example, a quick internet search by The Post revealed HMS Prince of Wales — one of the United Kingdom’s two aircraft carriers — is currently in Norfolk, according to an online fleet tracker.
Kim Jong Un (second from left) chats with senior officials as he attends 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 confirmation of the satellite’s capabilities, and North Korea has not released any purported images to the public.
But regardless of its surveillance capacity, defense experts say the launch alone could benefit the Kim regime’s work to develop its nuclear, space and ballistic capabilities.
The satellite was launched using ballistic missile technology, in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution that prohibits North Korea from using such capabilities.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
