Has North Korea accidentally revealed its first atomic bomb? State TV footage appears to show former leader with devastating weapon
North Korea may have inadvertently broadcast an image of an atomic bomb
Background footage of a state TV package showed Kim Jong-il with the device
Experts have been debating whether the image is of an actual atomic bomb
If real, it would have been taken sometime between 2006-2009 when the secretive regime carried out nuclear tests
By ROD ARDEHALI
DAILYMAIL.COM
14 December 2017
North Korea appear to have inadvertently broadcast an image of former leader Kim Jong-il inspecting one of the country’s first ever atomic bombs.
A 30-minute bulletin shown on state TV from December 12, at a conference in Pyongyang, showed a portrait in the background which appeared to be of Jong-il and the explosive device.
The photograph is visible only briefly as the camera sets the scene of the conference, which was attended by North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, the son of the late former leader pictured.
If real, it would have been taken sometime between 2006-2009 when the secretive regime carried out nuclear tests.
Hanging among other pictures of weaponry, experts have been debating whether the image resembles an atomic bomb or not.
Because of the fleeting appearance from distance, experts have yet to say definitively if the device is an atomic bomb but they do acknowledge similarities between recent photographs of Kim Jong-un inspecting what North Korea claim to be their first hydrogen bomb.
The picture appears to show Kim Jong-il, who died six years ago, inspecting a large globe-like object while in the company of senior military officials.
No public images are available of the late Kim, who was known in North Korea as the ‘Shining Star’, looking at a nuclear weapon but it could have been faked with computer software.
The image was first spotted by China-based Twitter user @xutianran on December 12, who said: ‘Is this an A-bomb or sth [something]?’, a question which had fellow North Korea watchers trying to make a positive identification.
While US arms control expert Jeffrey Lewis simply tweeted: ‘This is the photo we’re all ogling.’
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