EXCLUSIVE: Satellite Photo of North Korean Train Explosion Faked

In recent days, the world has been captivated by reports of a massive rail accident coming out of North Korea. Sources reported early that there were mass casualties in the thousands, but the North Korean government closed a veil of secrecy over the situation.
With international phone calls blocked and all but a few rescue workers barred from approaching the scene, a lone photo emerged reportedly taken via satellite of the area 18 hours after the explosion.

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South Korea's Donga news site published the photo first, comparing it side-by-side with a satellite image taken a year earlier.


At first glance, the photos show incredible devastation and a massive plume of black smoke billowing to the sky. It seems certain that no one in the immediate vicinity could have survived the destruction. Major media such as the BBC, CNN, and many others broadcast the photo on television and websites to help illustrate the tragic event and shed some light on the scope of the devastation.

The only problem is that the supposed satellite photo was not taken 18 hours after the incident, nor was it even taken of North Korea.

Our first clue comes when one considers the appearance of the smoke plume and the 18-hour time frame. Examine a satellite image of the New York City area in the hours after the World Trade Center collapse:
NYC Satellite Image 9-11-01
Note how just hours afterwards, the smoke plume from the collapse and fires has drifted miles to the east as upper-level winds carry it aloft. In looking at the supposed North Korean satellite photo, no significant plume drift has occurred, as would be expected 18 hours after the fact.

Our second clue comes when you compare the two photos closely. While the smoke plume obscures much of the small photo, the area not obscured doesn't quite match the photo taken of the area in 2003. The streets are not quite the same layout and the architecture is noticeably different.

What, then, is the supposed satellite picture? Where did it come from?

The website GlobalSecurity.org provides the answer.
We discover first the the grainy black & white satellite image was not taken this week; rather, it was taken on April 9th, 2003.
Second, the photo is not of North Korea. It is a satellite image of Iraq.
GlobalSecurity Original Image

In a blatant example of journalistic disintegrity, the South Korean news site cropped GlobalSecurity.org's original satellite image down to the photo now being circulated around the world and passed it off as an authentic image of the North Korea disaster.

The Donga news site is still reporting the photo as an authentic satellite image as of midnight EST 4/24/04.

Related Links:
GlobalSecurity.org
english.donga.com article


[Edited on 23-4-2004 by Banshee]

Major bust! And maybe the CNN headlines can lend a clue as to WHY they would lie!

stinkers

www.cnn.com...

I beg to differ with those that don't understand...we are NOT mainstream!

You can see alone that the two pictures they posted, do not even look alike. I probably would have not noticed it if Banshee did not point this out. Great Find!!!!!! Let's see if the mainstream will get ahold of it. Bets are on, Any Takers?

Here's my bet. IF they even know (which they're probably clueless until they read B's post) they will pull the pic and pretend it was never there.

Because they don't want to admit being duped.

We here at ATSNN don't get duped...WE GET EVEN!

LOL

That is a wonderful catch Banshee!! Awesome! Great research on your part!!

WOW that's incredible Banshee!

So what the heck is going on?

Um, I think that the picture on this website claims to be THE picture that was taken... anyone know about this? It's not the same picture, and it could be it, I can't really make out the smoke...

www.cbsnews.com...

That's a different picture than the original that this story was written about. It could well be an actual image.

Though, at the risk of sounding like I'm on some massive ingegrity spree, the *apparent* lack of debris in the post-blast photo is kind of odd.
Look at all the buildings in the first photo ... then look at the seemingly clear areas in the second.

I need to look closer at the streets. There's no way I can make out the architecture in the "post" image.

-B.

**EDIT: Photoshop analysis of the two coming soon....

[Edited on 23-4-2004 by Banshee]

Before I read this post, I had never seen the pics. I'm not sure how I would have viewed them if I hadn't read this post, but I'm sure I would have known it was fake. I wouldn't have researched it or anything, just keeping my opinions to myself. Great find Banshee!

hmm make this story all the more interesting. How sure are we that a train actually exploded? I kinda wanna think they had a nuke or chem weapons on it because they are hiding it but it doesnt make sense if they are askin for help in the UN>?

I can't make out the smoke either. Is that a hole?

It's not just the photo's that are being questioned. When the news of this devastating explosion first broke, they said the train was carrying a massive amount of liquid petroleum fuel. This morning the contents were reported as a large shipment of dynamite for a local mining operation. What exactly was the source of the explosion? Why did the story change?
Do you think there is a possibility that it was a nuclear device? N. Korea might have been trying to move their nuclear capabilities elsewhere and someone did a pre-emptive strike on them? (Just a what if scenario...)
There are more questions than answers.

I retract my suspicions on CBS' satelling images for the time being.
Side-by-side comparison (sorry for the ugliness, quick'n'dirty HTMLing there)

Having compared the two images from the CBS site side by side (as with the original fake images), it seems that the "post" image is taken from further out than the "pre" image. That seems to be why there's no detail in the area immediately surrounding the train station.

This looks like it could well be the first REAL satellite image from the area.

-B.

I admit I fell for the photo.

What a shocker,

GREAT report!

Any idea what the motive was for faking this image?

Gazz

I guess to try and get a jump on the story... making itlook like they had the story FIRST.

Not much else to say, but what the hell. Why use a false photo?

Banshee once again...you rock!!
Now why would the photo be a fake? makes you wonder how many casualities really happened too. This entire story has so many "suspect" issues. I feel alot more may be happening behind the scenes in North Korea and now I question South Korea's involvement in the incident.

I think some one wanted the rail link cut off. How many months will it take to replace this vital shipping link?

What are the alternative shipping routes?

This will weaken the country by slowing down to a trickle the shipment of food and fuel not to mention the korean goods sold into China.

Probably nothing really weird happened if the NK government want international aid.

Don't know about the rest of this discussion, but for sure it was not a nuclear or biological incident





www.mercurynews.com...

so if there is faking going on .....does anyone want to speculate as to why this is being faked and could there be a mix up with theese photos on purpose because not only are they lying but is our government not telling us something about whats going on....we could be catching it from both directions......