North Korea Claims Spy Satellite Pictured White House, Pentagon

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Image copyright: Office of the President of Russia [via Wikimedia Commons]

The Facts

  • North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday reported that Pres. Kim Jong Un personally reviewed images of the White House, Pentagon, and key US military installations, which were captured late Monday by its military reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1.

  • Seemingly trying to prove the authenticity of the unreleased photos, KCNA claimed that four US Navy nuclear-powered carriers and one British aircraft carrier were spotted at the Norfolk Naval Station and the Newport News Dockyard. But information on in-port locations is publicly available online.

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The Spin

Anti-North Korea Narrative

For the sake of propaganda, North Korea has once again destabilized the security situation on the peninsula. Malligyong-1's launch further exposes that Pyongyang has been able to consistently bypass international sanctions on its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. More must be done to contain North Korea.

Guardian

Pro-North Korea narrative

With Malligyong-1 in orbit, North Korea has bolstered its self-defense capabilities and war deterrence amid a deteriorating security environment featuring Pyongyang’s enemies conducting dangerous military actions in the Korean Peninsula. No one can deny North Korea's right to self-defense.

KCNA

Metaculus Prediction

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