April 16, 2014 10:01
Intelligence officials are analyzing a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un linking him directly to three drones that recently crashed in South Korea.
The picture was taken during a tour of a military base and shows an object that resembles the wings of unmanned aerial vehicles that were discovered in Paju north of Seoul and Samcheok in Gangwon Province.
The photo illustrated an article in March last year by the [North] Korean Central News Agency.
KCNA reported that Kim visited a military unit to inspect the latest combat equipment and offer strategies to deploy those weapons in battle. In the photo accompanying the article, Kim listens as officers show him various equipment. At the bottom left-hand corner of the photo sits a light-blue, wing-shaped object with a white cloud pattern.
A Defense Ministry official said, "The object appears to be the wing of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Even the angle of curvature at the wingtip as well as the color are exactly the same as the wings of the UAVs found in Paju and Samcheok."
Drones unveiled at a military parade back in 2012 had the same design but were larger and featured wings that were angled differently.
"The equipment appearing in the photo also appear to be UAV engines," the official added.
The military base has apparently manufactured and operated semi-submersibles to infiltrate South Korea.
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