Status: 04/19/2023 08:48 a.m
North Korea says it has completed the development of its first military spy satellite. The country must arm itself against “threats” from the United States and South Korea, according to ruler Kim Jong Un.
The self-declared nuclear power North Korea has completed the development of its first earth observation satellite for military purposes. During an inspection visit by the Aerospace Development Agency, ruler Kim Jong Un ordered preparations for the satellite launch to be accelerated, state media reported.
The “number one military reconnaissance satellite” is now complete and could be shot down at the scheduled time, Kim was quoted as saying. When exactly the start should take place remained unclear. State media showed pictures of Kim visiting the space agency with his daughter.
Kim Jong Un: Satellites Against “US Threats”
The aim must be to successively expose several such satellites to different earth orbits in the future, said Kim. In this way, North Korea could better counter the “threats” from the USA and South Korea. The ruler accused both countries of an aggressive attitude towards North Korea.
The ruling Labor Party described the most important task as gaining access to space reconnaissance and “real-time information about the military scenario and the activities of hostile forces”. Kim’s statements were an obvious reference to US-South Korean military exercises, which North Korea used to justify its latest cascade of weapons tests.
“Development must be taken very seriously”
An expert from the World Institute for North Korea Studies, An Chan Il, told the AFP news agency that North Korea was initially apparently about a “symbolic” launch of the spy satellite, which would then be “gradually” improved. “If China and Russia don’t provide high-tech support, it will be difficult to spy with North Korea’s own technology,” An said.
The president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, Yang Moo Jin, said the development must still be taken very seriously. After all, spy satellites are “an important factor in a nuclear preemptive strike” by North Korea and therefore “pose a significant threat” to South Korea.
Apparently successful launch of an ICBM
Kim’s visit to the agency comes just days after North Korea’s recent launch of an ICBM that could theoretically reach US territory. The largely isolated country spoke of testing a new type of ICBM with solid fuel propulsion. North Korea is barred from testing ICBMs and other ballistic missiles by UN decisions. Depending on the design, such rockets can be equipped with one or more nuclear warheads. North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is perceived as a direct threat by the US and its allies.
North Korea had already reported in December that it had successfully tested the development of a reconnaissance satellite. It remained unclear which rocket was used to transport the “satellite test body”. The space and long-range missiles are largely based on the same technology.