North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country has completed development of the first military spy satellite and ordered those responsible to launch it as planned, the official news agency said on Wednesday.
During a visit to North Korea’s aerospace agency on Tuesday, Kim stressed that the acquisition of a space-based surveillance system is critical in the face of US-led security threats, the Korean Central News Agency reported ( KCNA).
Pyongyang argues that the weapons tests it has been conducting, including the first test firing of a solid-fueled ICBM designed to reach the mainland United States last week, is a response to joint military exercises between Washington and its allies in the region, South Korea and Japan.
At the aerospace agency, Kim said military recognition is crucial for the country to effectively use North Korean methods of war deterrence, according to KCNA.
Kim further noted that the “No. 1 military reconnaissance satellite” was built in April and called for efforts to speed up final preparations for its launch. The date, however, has not yet been announced.
Also according to KCNA, the leader stated that the Asian country should launch several satellites to establish the information gathering capacity.
On the other hand, the official accused Washington and Seoul of expanding hostile military campaigns to bolster the alliance, accusing the US of turning South Korea into a “forward base for aggression” by deploying strategic assets such as aircraft carriers and bombers. with nuclear weapons.
North Korea has launched about 30 missiles this year in response to joint US-South Korean military exercises, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.
South Korean and US officials say the drills are defensive in nature and were organized to respond to the growing military threat from North Korea.
Source: TSF
