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By Kim Jong-chan
People originally from North Korea will be able to see their hometown in the North free of charge through satellite image maps posted at www.vworld.kr, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs announced Wednesday.
The ministry originally planned to launch the 3D satellite image map service for displaced people from Sept. 27. But it opened the maps at 3 p.m. Wednesday, earlier than scheduled, after it was flooded with phone calls by displaced people.
The 3D satellite maps were made based on images taken by the Arirang-2 satellite, which was developed by the country with its own technology.
If anyone types the name of location he or she wants to see, a satellite image map will be made available, a ministry official said.
For instance, people can see roads, vehicles and Yanggak Island in the Daedong River, Pyongyang. But they cannot recognize individual people. Facial recognition is also impossible.
The ministry will provide people with similar service based on satellite images taken by the Arirang-3, which was launched last May. The images are sharper than those taken by the Arirang-2, the official said.
jckim@koreatimes.co.kr
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