North Korea's Still In The Dark, As Photos From Space Show

At Night, North Korea Disappears Photos from space show that at night, North Korea is a huge, almost completely dark patch between its two prosperous neighbors, South Korea and China. Hide caption This image was taken on Jan. 30 by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. North Korea is the large dark patch in the middle. The only significant light is from its capital, Pyongyang. The next photo adds reference points. Previous Next NASA.gov

Hide caption The same image of North Korea and its neighbors at night, with reference points added. Previous Next NASA.gov

Hide caption A 2002 satellite image of the Korean peninsula and neighboring lands and seas. North Korea's borders are outlined in white. Previous Next NASA via Afrikent 1 of 3 i View slideshow

Pictures really do tell the story about how far behind economically North Korea is compared with its neighbors.

In 2002, as Eyder has said, then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld used a satellite photo to illustrate how in-the-dark the communist nation was.

Twelve years later, a new photo taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station shows that, if anything, the differences are even more stark. As NASA says: