North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claims his country has created its first military spy satellite and plans to launch it on an unspecified date, according to state media.
Previous missile and rocket tests have shown that North Korea can launch satellites into orbit, but many experts dispute whether it has sophisticated enough cameras to spy from a satellite because only low-resolution photographs have been provided following previous test flights.
During his visit to the country’s aerospace agency Tuesday, Kim said that having an operational military reconnaissance satellite is crucial for North Korea to effectively use its nuclear-capable missiles.
Kim cited what he described as serious security threats posed by “the most hostile rhetoric and explicit action” by the United States and South Korea this year, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea has claimed that its ongoing weapons tests, including the launch of its first solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the US mainland last week, are in response to joint military exercises between the US and its regional allies South Korea and Japan.
North Korea has carried out about 100 missile tests since the start of last year, including about 30 this year.
The U.S. and South Korean militaries have been expanding combined drills in response to North Korea’s growing nuclear threats. This week, the allies launched a 12-day aerial exercise involving some 110 warplanes and staged a one-day naval missile defense exercise with Japan.
Spy satellites are among a slew of important weapons systems that Kim has officially pledged to create before a big governing Workers’ Party congress in January 2021.
Kim also promised to develop solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered submarines, hypersonic missiles, and multi-warhead missiles.
