South Korea's 1st military spy satellite transmits 'good resolution' images of North Korea

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - South Korea's first military spy satellite has "successfully" transmitted "good-resolution" images of the central part of North Korean capital Pyongyang back home following the satellite's launch in December last year.

The electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) satellite has been sending home satellite images of North Korean regions, including Pyongyang, in a test transmission, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported, citing unnamed military sources.

Central Pyongyang houses the headquarters building of the Workers' Party of Korea, where leader Kim Jong-un's office is located.

The first indigenous spy satellite was placed into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 2, enabling Seoul to independently gain satellite imagery on the North Korean military and leadership.

The images currently being transmitted require "some heavy" editing, but the satellite is likely to send home higher-resolution images beginning next month, sources asserted.

Sources, nonetheless, did not specify the exact subjects photographed in the images, citing intelligence reasons.

Seoul plans to send four more satellites into space by 2025.