Podcast Summary: Click Here

Episode: "Reading North Korea"

Date: February 17, 2026
Host: Dena Temple-Raston (Recorded Future News)
Guest: Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (Director, East Asia Nonproliferation Program, Middlebury Institute)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the art and science of investigating North Korean missile launches, focusing on how a team of open-source investigators and satellite imagery analysts unmasked one of North Korea’s most dramatic propaganda stunts: the so-called "monster missile" launch. Host Dena Temple-Raston and guest Jeffrey Lewis explore the digital forensics and unconventional sleuthing behind separating truth from deception in the digital age—showing how the public, not just governments, now have a front-row seat in global security mysteries.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Modern Digital Crime Scene

• The episode opens by contrasting traditional investigation methods with modern digital analysis of online clues, networks, and data artifacts.
  • “The crime scene looks different. The evidence isn't always physical. Sometimes it lives online, in networks, on servers, in code.” —Dena Temple-Raston (00:11)

2. Who is Jeffrey Lewis and Why North Korea?

• Jeffrey Lewis discusses his fascination with tracking North Korean missile activity and the peculiarity required for this detail-oriented work.

  • “I have no earthly idea why you would want to talk to me...interested in all the horrific and terrifying things that North Korea is doing...and the interesting ways that we go about tracking that.” —Jeffrey Lewis (00:47)

• Lewis’s expertise lies in using open-source intelligence (OSINT) and satellite imagery to cut through North Korean misinformation, especially about its weapons program.

3. The Monster Missile: Myth or Reality?

• The central mystery: decades of suspicion about a North Korean "monster missile"—an ICBM capable of carrying multiple warheads to the US.

  • “This is a missile that can take not just one, but many warheads all the way from North Korea to the United States.” —Jeffrey Lewis (04:57)

• North Korea’s propaganda video: featured Kim Jong Un in a Top Gun-style video, dramatizing the launch.

  • “The footage is unintentionally hilarious. Kim Jong Un is wearing a top gun like leather jacket and he's walking in slow motion.” —Dena Temple-Raston (06:05)

4. The Limits and Power of Satellite Imagery

• Lewis details the revolution in satellite imagery: availability has moved from governments to researchers, journalists, and even the public.

  • “Now there is so much of it, and with so much of it, you...get some choices.” —Jeffrey Lewis (09:36)

• Explains difference between high- and medium-resolution imagery:

  • High-res: “Like looking at the Earth through a drinking straw.” (10:02)
  • Medium-res: Can see more area, less precision, but can spot patterns/events to zoom in on.

• How a small detail—a map in the background of propaganda—led to the discovery of a missile factory expansion using satellite imagery over time.

5. Building an Open-Source Investigation Team

• Lewis’s team operates like “Ocean’s Eleven,” each with a specialty:
  • Ben, “walking computer,” micro-examines images.
  • Lisa Lavina speaks Korean and models rockets.
  • Tricia White scans social media for clues.
  • John Ford excels at visual recall of sites/furnishings.
  • “He knows that exact table.” —Jeffrey Lewis (13:17)

6. Catching the Lie: Unraveling the Monster Missile Launch

• Analysis began with skepticism after journalist Colin Zwerko flagged inconsistencies (18:20).

• The team scrutinized shadows in the official video—Michael Dutzman:

  • “There are tools online that you can use to measure the angle of the sun at a particular time of day and determine which direction the shadow should fall.” (18:55)

• The shadows switched direction unexpectedly—suggesting the video was spliced together from different times.

• Satellite images revealed a burn mark at the launch site before the alleged launch time.

  • “I was like, oh my God.” —Jeffrey Lewis (21:12)

• The missile’s reported acceleration didn't add up to what their models predicted; pointed to video fakery or a failed test.

• Conclusion: North Korea launched the monster missile, it failed, and the regime spliced footage with another (working) launch to create propaganda.

  • “In order to imply it had worked.” —Jeffrey Lewis (22:46)

7. The Consequence of False Certainty

• Knowing that the missile success was faked changed global threat assessments and prevented escalation.

  • “In a nuclear age, knowing what isn’t true can matter just as much as knowing what is.” —Dena Temple-Raston (23:06)

• Shift from exclusive government-held intelligence to public, open-source investigations now influences global perceptions and policy.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “When you catch someone in a lie, then you've learned something really interesting about what they care about.” —Jeffrey Lewis (07:56)
• “They always used to adjust the size of Kim Jong Un's ears.” —Jeffrey Lewis, on Pyongyang’s obsession with image manipulation (08:10)
• “[Satellite investigation is] almost like you went and looked at Kim Jong Un and...he’s got chocolate smeared all over his face.” —Jeffrey Lewis analogizes catching North Korea in a lie (22:53)
• “If there was a big red button that would just demolish the Internet, I would smash that button with my forehead.” —Jeffrey Lewis, half-jokingly expressing frustration at online misinformation (16:30)
• “The audience isn't just governments. It's all of us.” —Dena Temple-Raston on democratization of security intelligence (24:33)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Introduction & framing digital investigations | | 04:57 | The “monster missile” and its significance | | 09:36 | Satellite imagery revolution | | 12:37-13:17 | Building the investigator “dream team” | | 18:08 | Going frame-by-frame, the investigation begins | | 18:55 | The “shadow clue” and video forensics | | 20:50 | The burn mark: Satellite evidence | | 21:23 | Propulsion anomaly clues | | 22:00–22:46 | The big reveal: Spliced video and failed missile | | 23:06 | Impact of deception on global security |

Summary & Takeaways

• Jeffrey Lewis and his diverse team used open-source digital tools, satellite imagery, and detailed video analysis to debunk a key piece of North Korean propaganda.
• Their success reveals both the power and challenge of modern information ecosystems—where truth can be hidden in plain sight, but also uncovered by resourceful, cross-disciplinary teams.
• The episode emphasizes that, in a world of information warfare and nuclear threats, knowing what isn’t real is just as important as knowing what is.

This summary captures the investigative adventure, technical detail, and engaging tone of "Click Here: Reading North Korea," offering a window into how public domain intelligence can influence real-world global security decisions.