North Korea is facing renewed scrutiny over the authenticity of its military propaganda, after analysts claimed the regime may have digitally altered images from a recent air force exercise to exaggerate its drone capabilities.
The photos in question were released by North Korean state media—including the ruling party’s newspaper Rodong Sinmun and Korean Central Television—on May 17. They depict what appear to be three identical attack drones flying above a runway during an inspection by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
But according to an analysis by NK News, a U.S.-based outlet specializing in North Korean affairs, the drones—believed to be the Saebyeol Type 9, Pyongyang’s answer to the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper—showed pixel-perfect alignment, suggesting they may be digital duplicates of a single aircraft.
Upon closer inspection, NK News found that the leftmost and rightmost drones shared identical shapes, pixel positions, and shading. The publication suggested that North Korea may have simply replicated a photo of one drone to make it appear as though three were flying in formation.
Further raising eyebrows, a separate broadcast by Korean Central Television on the same day showed only a single drone in the same scene, prompting speculation that the state-run newspaper may have cropped or altered the image to support a narrative of greater military strength.
North Korea has previously been accused of doctoring military imagery, including during a missile test in 2019. Analysts say this latest case may be part of an ongoing effort to inflate the progress of the country’s drone program.
The Saebyeol Type 9 drones seen in the May 17 images appear identical to models showcased during a military parade in July 2023 and again at a weapons expo in late 2024, leading some experts to believe that there has been little technical advancement since then.