Images of North's leader altered to remove Blue House model, missile factory interior
Published: 16 Sep. 2025, 10:00
![A photo released by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows that the model of the Blue House made by North Korea for training purposes (bottom left) has been deleted out from an official photo released by North Korean media in which the model was hidden from view. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/16/7b12ccf3-1c28-4dbc-a499-594a2fa9a426.jpg)
A photo released by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows that the model of the Blue House made by North Korea for training purposes (bottom left) has been deleted out from an official photo released by North Korean media in which the model was hidden from view. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
North Korea appears to have deliberately deleted or edited out a model of the Blue House and images of a missile factory’s interior from recently released photos of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspecting military sites in what seems like an attempt to conceal the true objectives of its military drills and the locations of weapons manufacturing facilities.
The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Aug. 27 that Kim had observed sniper training at Unit 525 of the Korean People's Army, located south of Pyongyang. However, the released photos did not show a one-third scale model of the Blue House that had been installed at the northern end of the training ground.
NK News, a U.S.-based outlet specializing in North Korea, reported that the Blue House model appeared to have been digitally removed from the photographs. Satellite imagery captured around the same time by Planet Labs showed the building still in place. Notably, the forest pattern overlay in the photo background differed between images, indicating possible digital manipulation.
The model was installed in late 2021 and has been used in special forces drills simulating infiltration into the Blue House and urban warfare. North Korea had also publicly showcased similar training with a Blue House replica in 2016.
Experts speculate the edits may be part of “strategic ambiguity” to avoid unnecessary provocations following the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration — or a domestic propaganda decision to keep South Korean symbols out of images featuring the supreme leader.
Signs of manipulation were also found in photos released on Sept. 1 of Kim inspecting a factory that produces the Hwasong-11 series short-range ballistic missiles.
In one photo, the interior walls of the factory appeared to show missile test images, but other angles revealed different arrangements, and the pillar stripes did not match across images. This appears intended to prevent external analysts from identifying the factory’s location based on structural clues.
![North Korean media reported that Kim visited a factory on Aug. 31, but the Rodong Sinmun in the stand (left in the picture) is dated Aug. 26. Below, blurred images of the front and fourth pages of the Aug. 26 edition are shown tilted, while the unblurred original pages are presented on the right, demonstrating that both are from the same issue. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/16/42a999dc-f703-482f-a7c9-e9669c3694e4.jpg)
North Korean media reported that Kim visited a factory on Aug. 31, but the Rodong Sinmun in the stand (left in the picture) is dated Aug. 26. Below, blurred images of the front and fourth pages of the Aug. 26 edition are shown tilted, while the unblurred original pages are presented on the right, demonstrating that both are from the same issue. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Analysis suggests the facility may be the February 11 Factory in Hamhung, but North Korea appears to have edited window frames and wall features to obscure any identifying details. The name February 11 Factory comes from North Korea's tendency to name its military factories with numbers or dates.
KCNA reported that Kim inspected the factory on Aug. 31, but the newspaper visible in the photos was dated Aug. 26 — a discrepancy experts believe was meant to conceal the actual date of the visit and weaken its association with Hamhung.
Experts say these incidents show North Korea’s continued manipulation and distortion of military propaganda images. Concerns have been raised that relying solely on North Korean media without satellite or independent verification could lead to flawed military assessments.
“There is a high likelihood that North Korea will attempt more sophisticated photo and video manipulation using artificial intelligence,” one security expert said, emphasizing that “satellite imagery and multisource verification are essential for accurate analysis.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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