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North Korea claims White House, Pentagon, Guam among US sites its spy satellite has photographed

arifnsn November 28, 2023

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North Korea claimed its first spy satellite, which was launched into orbit this month, has taken photos of the White House, Pentagon and nearby US naval stations.

The prominent US sites add to a list of areas North Korea claims to have photographed using its reconnaissance probe that was launched into space last week. State media said leader Kim Jong-un has seen the latest images along with previous photos of Rome, Anderson Air Force Base in Guam, Pearl Harbour and the US Navy’s Carl Vinson aircraft carrier.

On Monday it took “in detail” images of the White House and the Pentagon in Washington, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Wreaths and other festive decor adorn the White House on Monday. North Korean state media claimed the country’s first spy satellite had taken “in detail” pictures of US President Joe Biden’s official residence and workplace. Photo: Reuters

Also on Monday, North Korea’s ambassador made a rare appearance at the UN Security Council to defend his country’s launch of the satellite.

“No other nation in the world is in the security environment as critical as the DPRK,” said Kim Song, using the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“One belligerent party, the United States, is threatening us with a nuclear weapon,” he said.

North Korea claims success in launching first spy satellite after 3 attempts

“It is a legitimate right for the DPRK as another belligerent party to develop, test, manufacture and possess weapons systems equivalent to those that the United States possesses or is developing.”

The North Korean ambassador mocked US charges that satellite technology also helped North Korea hone its missile capacity, questioning whether the United States put satellites into orbit “with a catapult”.

The US ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, rejected North Korea’s assertion it was acting in self-defence and said that joint US-South Korean exercises were “routine” and “defensive in nature”.

“We intentionally reduce risk and pursue transparency by announcing the exercises in advance including the dates and the activities, unlike the DPRK,” she said, adding that the drills did not violate Security Council resolutions.

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North Korea claims to have successfully put its first spy satellite into orbit

South Korea salvaged one of North Korea’s spy satellites after a failed launch earlier this year and concluded the technology had little military value. While Seoul believes any North Korea satellite would be rudimentary at best, such technology could help Kim’s regime in its targeting as it steps up its ability to deliver a nuclear strike.

North Korea had said the satellite would formally start its reconnaissance mission from December 1 after some fine tuning, but KCNA said on Tuesday: “the fine-tuning process of the satellite is being hastened to end one or two days earlier.”

There has been no confirmation from the outside world on whether the satellite is operational and North Korea has yet to release any of the images it claims to have taken.

North Korea has a history of bluster when it comes to satellite claims. Under the leadership of Kim Jong-il – the father of the current leader – North Korea had said it placed a satellite into orbit that was playing revolutionary songs, only to have Washington say the probe was likely at the bottom of the sea.

US presses China on North Korea’s weapons supplies to Russia

The United States said last month that North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.

Russia and China, North Korea’s main ally, have put forward a resolution, opposed by the US, to ease sanctions on Pyongyang as part of an effort to encourage dialogue.

Chinese envoy Geng Shuang accused the US of “further aggravating tension and confrontation” through its military alliance with South Korea.

“If the DPRK constantly feels threatened, and its legitimate security concerns remain unresolved, the peninsula will not be able to get out of the security dilemma and only be caught in a vicious cycle of tit-for-tat aggressive moves,” he said.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

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