The North Koreans are gloating about their supposed spy satellite, but the fact they haven’t shown any photos leads me to believe it either doesn’t work or the technology is very old:
North Korea claimed Saturday its leader Kim Jong-un observed photos taken by the country’s recently launched military spy satellite of “major target regions” in South Korea, where U.S. Army bases are located, and parts of Hawaii.
Kim visited the Pyongyang General Control Center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) on Friday to “learn about the operational preparation of the reconnaissance satellite” and looked at the aerospace photos, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
This is just another reason why smartphones should be banned in schools. Social media just encourages these kids to be confrontational with teachers in order to get online views:
A female student and a middle-aged male teacher are seen arguing at a school in Korea in a video that has gone viral online. (Screenshot from inssahumor2’s Instagram account)
A video showing a quarrel between a female student and a male teacher has sparked online controversy.
The video shows a female student, believed to be a high schooler, arguing loudly in the hallway with a middle-aged male teacher.
The quarrel between the two begins when the teacher loudly instructs the student to go inside the classroom. The student argues back, saying “Why are you yelling at me? Don’t you think I’m a precious daughter of our family?”
S. Korea-Britain summit South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) poses for a photo with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) and his wife, Akshata Murty, at 10 Downing Street in London on Nov. 22, 2023. (Yonhap)
A video store sits abandoned, possibly for over a decade, in a stalled Incheon redevelopment zone. The building was approved for use in ‘85 & 2 of the posters in the window are for 2003 releases – Gothika (w/ Halle Berry & Robert Downey Jr.) + Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder pic.twitter.com/CrZOpNVHeO
Trilateral exercises between the U.S., ROK, and Japan are becoming very normalized which is a good thing:
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (L) meets Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander of carrier strike group one, (R) during his visit to the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier docked in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Nov. 22, 2023, in this photo provided by the defense ministry.
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said Wednesday South Korea plans to hold joint maritime drills with the United States and Japan involving a U.S. aircraft carrier to bolster military readiness and show their resolve against North Korea’s provocations.
Shin visited the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier currently docked in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, a day after North Korea claimed it successfully placed a spy satellite into orbit in its third launch following two failed attempts earlier this year.
“North Korea’s spy satellite launch last night clearly violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban missile launches using ballistic missile technology and is a provocative act that hampers the national security,” Shin said.
Kimchi Day More than 1,000 people take part in a kimchi making contest at a square in Gwangju, 267 kilometers south of Seoul, on Nov. 22, 2023, Kimchi Day. (Yonhap)
Not happy with their successful satellite launch, the North Koreans apparently decided to increase tensions further by firing a ballistic missile that failed:
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the test firing of a new solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at an undisclosed location in North Korea, April 13. Yonhap
North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea, but the launch appears to have failed, the South Korean military said Thursday.
The North fired the missile from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 11:05 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
It did not provide other details, adding that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are conducting an analysis into the launch.
The latest launch came after South Korea suspended part of the 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement in response to the North’s latest launch of a military spy satellite.
The South Korean military has confirmed that the North Koreans did put a satellite into space, they just don’t know yet if it actually is transmitting anything:
This photo released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency shows the launch of a rocket carrying a spy satellite, Malligyong-1, at Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, North Korea, Tuesday. Yonhap
North Korea’s military spy satellite appears to have entered into orbit, but more time would be needed to determine if it is operating properly, Seoul’s military said Wednesday.
The North launched the Malligyong-1 satellite from the country’s west coast late Tuesday in its third attempt this year, claiming it has successfully entered into orbit.
“After a comprehensive analysis of its flight track data and other signs, the satellite is assessed to have entered into orbit,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a text message sent to reporters.
“However, determining whether the satellite is working properly will take time as additional analysis is required under coordination between South Korea and the United States and relevant agencies.”
In response to the satellite launch the ROK announced that it is suspending part of the 2018 Inter-Korean Military Pact they have with North Korea:
Seoul on Wednesday partially suspended an inter-Korean military agreement designed to ease tensions and decided to resume surveillance operations along the border with North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s launch of a spy satellite. The South Korean government said it was a “necessary measure” for self-defense.
At an extraordinary Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said North Korea’s latest provocation ― and violation of the agreement ― shows it has no intention to comply with it.
“A partial suspension of the agreement is a necessary measure for national security and the minimum action for self-defense,” he said after endorsing the proposal. It was subsequently approved in less than an hour by President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is on a state visit to Britain.
