[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The U.S. Northern Command completed the debris recovery operation of the Chinese reconnaissance balloon it shot down on the 4th in South Carolina, USA.
According to AP and AFP, the U.S. Northern Command announced in a statement on the 16th that it successfully concluded the debris search operation conducted off the coast of South Carolina.
The U.S. military explained that the debris was from a "high-altitude People's Republic of China (PRC) reconnaissance balloon," and stated, "The final pieces of debris are being transferred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) laboratory in Virginia for use in counterintelligence."
The U.S. Northern Command also reported that the debris search for two unidentified objects shot down over the northern coast of Alaska on the 10th and over Lake Huron along the U.S.-Canada border on the 12th has been suspended.
The agency said, "The U.S. military, federal agencies, and Canadian partner organizations conducted systematic searches using various capabilities such as aerial photography, surface sensors and observations, and subsurface scans in each area, but no debris was found."
While the object shot down over South Carolina airspace on the 4th has been confirmed as a Chinese reconnaissance balloon, the identities of the three unidentified objects shot down in other locations between the 10th and 12th have not been clearly revealed at this stage.
U.S. President Joe Biden explained at a White House briefing on the 16th, "At this time, there is nothing to suggest that these are related to China’s spy balloon program or reconnaissance devices from other countries," adding, "The current assessment by intelligence agencies is that the three objects are most likely balloons related to private companies, recreational use, research institutions, meteorological research, or other scientific studies."
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