North Korea’s state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong Un inspected a military satellite facility on Tuesday. According to the report, Kim has also authorised the non-permanent satellite-launching preparatory committee’s next stages in the action plan.
The committee is a group dedicated to launching North Korea’s first military intelligence satellite.
The state media reported earlier this year that Pyongyang has completed building its first military spy satellite and final preparations to launch the satellite were underway.
So far, there is no information regarding the scheduled date of the launch.
But the report noted that Kim has said that the successful launch of the military reconnaissance satellite is an “urgent requirement of the prevailing security environment of the country”.
Last year in December, a report by the state media said that North Korea has executed an “important final-stage” test of launching a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit at its rocket launching site, with plans to finish preparations for the project by April.
The KCNA had reported that the test was carried out at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground to “evaluate the capabilities of satellite photography, data transmission system, and ground control system”.
KCNA said that on Tuesday, “after acquainting himself in detail with the work of the committee, (Kim) inspected the military reconnaissance satellite No. 1, which is ready for loading after undergoing the final general assembly check and space environment test”.
One of Kim’s primary defence goals for 2021 was the building of a military reconnaissance satellite. Experts in South Korea questioned the results at the time, claiming that the quality of the black-and-white photographs given by North Korea – reportedly captured from a satellite – was poor.
Analysts have said that Pyongyang might face issues while doing satellite reconnaissance with its own technology and without high-tech help from Russia or China.
Yang Moo-jin, who is the president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told news agency AFP last month that “since North Korea’s reconnaissance satellites are an important factor in the event of a nuclear pre-emptive strike, they pose a significant threat to the South”.
(With inputs from agencies)
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