SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un on Tuesday examined a completed military spy satellite that Pyongyang will soon launch into space, saying satellite reconnaissance is crucial to countering the United States and South Korea.
During a visit to his country’s aerospace agency on Tuesday, Kim approved an unspecified “future plan of action” regarding preparations for the satellite launch, the Korean Central News Agency (ACNC) said on Wednesday.
North Korea has not revealed the precise date for the launch and some analysts say it could take place in the coming weeks.
Long-range missile technology prohibited by previous United Nations Security Council resolutions will be used for the launch, although previous missile and rocket tests have demonstrated Pyongyang’s ability to carry a satellite into space.
However, more questions remain about the satellite’s capacity. Some South Korean analysts say the device shown in the photos released by the North Korean state media appears too small and crudely designed to support high-resolution images.
Photos of previous missile launches distributed by North Korean state media were low-resolution
Photos published by the Rodong Sinmun newspaper of the visit on Tuesday showed Kim and his daughter, dressed in lab coats, talking with scientists near an object that appeared to be the main component of the satellite. The newspaper did not identify the object, which was surrounded by a perimeter of red tape.
According to the ACNC, the satellite was considered rocket-ready after scientists examined the device’s assembly and tested it to see if it would withstand the space environment.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry, for its part, said the North has not yet informed telecommunication and maritime authorities of the launch, adding that a North Korean satellite would violate several UN Security Council resolutions that ban any device that includes ballistic technologies and “threatens regional peace and stability”.
“The announcement of a satellite launch plan shows, once again, that the North Korean regime is concerned about continuing its illegal provocations while ignoring the plight of its population,” the ministerial statement said in reference to the bank. economy and the deep international isolation of the hermetic nation.
The visit was Kim’s first public appearance in nearly a month since he went to the aerospace center on April 18, when state media announced the satellite’s construction.
The North Korean leader said having a spy satellite would be crucial to his efforts to bolster the country’s defense as “US imperialists and (South Korean) puppet villains intensify their confrontational moves” against the North, the ACNC said.
