Analysts suggest that photographs released by North Korea on October 17, purportedly showing the demolition of inter-Korean liaison facilities, may have been illicitly captured from video footage recorded by South Korea’s military. (Image courtesy of the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS))
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – Analysts suggest that photographs released by North Korea on October 17, purportedly showing the demolition of inter-Korean liaison facilities, may have been illicitly captured from video footage recorded by South Korea’s military.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s state media outlet, reported on the destruction of road connections along the eastern and western corridors linking the two Koreas, which occurred on October 15. The report was accompanied by three photographs, including one depicting the demolition of the east coast liaison office.
Experts note a striking similarity between one of the released images and a frame from surveillance footage captured by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) at the time of the demolition. The North Korean image appears to match the JCS video in several key details, including a blue sign, white streetlights, the pattern of spreading smoke, and dense foliage at the bottom of the frame.
While the North Korean image appears slightly more faded and shows minor differences in smoke patterns, a photography expert suggested these discrepancies could be attributed to image processing. “Despite slight variations, likely due to editing, it appears to be the same photograph,” the expert stated.
A South Korean military official pointed out that it would be impossible for North Korea to capture footage from the exact location as South Korean forces. However, they conceded that a similar angle might be achievable.
The high degree of similarity between the images has led some analysts to conclude that North Korea may have appropriated the South Korean military’s footage without permission.
During the October 15 demolitions, South Korean surveillance equipment detected North Korean personnel filming at the western corridor site. However, no such activity was observed at the eastern corridor location.
Notably, North Korea did not release any information about the demolitions on October 16, the day after they occurred. This has led to speculation that the regime may have scrambled to obtain usable imagery, potentially resorting to using South Korean video footage in their delayed announcement.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
