South Korean satellite captures Russian ships transporting North Korean troops

North Korean special forces were reportedly spotted boarding Russian ships, with transportation movements captured by a South Korean-operated satellite on Oct. 20.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) released a statement on the 18th, providing three satellite images as evidence confirming the “initial stage of North Korea’s direct involvement” in the war in Ukraine. Among the images, those of military facilities in Ussuriysk and Khabarovsk, Russia, were sourced from “Airbus,” a private satellite provider, though no source was named for the images showing North Korean troops being transported on Russian ships.

On Oct. 20, a South Korean-operated satellite captured an image of a Russian vessel transporting North Korean troops at Cheongjin Port on Oct. 12. The satellite, equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR), provided clear imagery, allowing for round-the-clock surveillance in all weather conditions. A government source explained that the unnamed satellite photos were taken by South Korean satellites equipped with SAR technology.

A government official explained that “the satellite images without a specified source were taken by a satellite under our operation.” One of the images, captured on Oct. 12, shows Russian vessels transporting North Korean troops at the port of Chongjin in North Hamgyong Province. This photograph was obtained using South Korea’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, which generates detailed images by emitting electromagnetic waves and processing the reflected signals. This technology enables continuous imaging, both day and night, regardless of weather conditions.

At the bottom of the photo depicting the activities of Russian ships transporting North Korean troops, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) provided a graphic map showing that two Russian amphibious landing ships transported North Korean troops from Hamhung and Chongjin to Vladivostok across the East Sea. /Yonhap News

The South Korean government has been closely tracking the movements of North Korean troops since rumors surfaced about their potential deployment to assist Russia. South Korea’s military spy satellites, launched in December of last year and April this year, likely contributed to this surveillance. These satellites are equipped with advanced sensors, such as electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) and SAR technology.

However, images captured by military reconnaissance satellites are classified as military secrets and are generally excluded from government press releases. As a result, the SAR images included in the NIS briefing are believed to have been taken by a government-operated satellite rather than a military one. The South Korean government operates several SAR-equipped satellites, including the multipurpose Arirang 5, which may have been the source of the imagery.