Politics

North Korea claims spy satellite captured images of US military bases

Seoul, Nov 22 (EFE).- North Korea said on Wednesday that its maiden spy satellite, launched a day earlier, captured images of the US military bases on Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un saw the satellite images of “Anderson Air Force Base, Apra Harbor, and other major military bases of the US forces” in the Pacific, the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The news agency said the North Korean aerospace agency received the satellite imagery on Wednesday morning.

Earlier, North Korea claimed through its state media that it successfully placed its first spy satellite into orbit from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Cholsan County on Tuesday night.

“The carrier rocket, Chollima-1, flew normally along the preset flight track and accurately put the reconnaissance satellite in its orbit,” KCNA said.

North Korea said launching reconnaissance satellites was its “legitimate right” for “self-defensive capabilities.”

“It will make a significant contribution to definitely ramping up the war preparedness of the armed forces,” the news agency said.

It said the country had to be in a combat-ready mode because of the “security environment created in and around the country (by) the enemies’ dangerous military moves,” referring to the United States.

Hours later, Kim, who oversaw the launch, visited the general control center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA).

KCNA reported that Kim learned about the “operation of the reconnaissance satellite, its fine-tuning process, and the state of aerospace photographing of a specific area.”

The North Korean leader said that his armed forces now have “eyes overlooking a very long distance and a strong fist beating a very long distance.”

If the satellite success claim is true, North Korean surveillance capabilities would take a significant leap, allowing it to detect troop movements in and around the region.

Kim said the satellite would help North Korea “closely monitor and grasp the nature” of US military activities in the region.

The US and South Korea plan to conduct joint war drills on the Korean peninsula, which North Korea says are “endangering the regional military situation.”

Seoul and Washington have not confirmed the success of the North Korean satellite launch, which came after two failed attempts in May and August.

However, South Korea confirmed that its neighbor launched a military spy satellite on Tuesday night, which prompted Japan to activate missile alerts in the Okinawa province and recommend people take cover.

In response, the South Korean government approved the partial suspension of the military agreement it signed in 2018 with North Korea.

The military agreement, signed in Pyongyang in September 2018 during the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then South Korean President Moon Jae-in, was an important step towards reducing military tension around the border between the two countries, which are technically still at war.

However, after the failure of denuclearization negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington in 2019, tensions in the region have gradually escalated to new historic heights.

Pyongyang approved a weapons modernization plan in 2021 and since then, it has carried out many missile tests, in addition to rejecting the resumption of dialogue and seeking closer ties with Beijing and Moscow.

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