North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the launch of a military spy satellite, in a move that could allow him to keep an eye on U.S. allies as well as advance his state¡¯s ability to deliver a nuclear warhead to the American mainland.
Kim called for the launch of the state¡¯s first military reconnaissance satellite, within a planned time frame, during a visit to the National Space Development Agency, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday.
He was accompanied by officials from the Reconnaissance General Bureau, an agency accused by the U.S. and others of clandestine operations and illegal financial activities to dodge sanctions.
Kim said possessing military reconnaissance satellites would play a crucial role in North Korea¡¯s defense capabilities, sovereignty and legitimate right to self-defense, KCNA said. He added that his country must be prepared to face ¡°military threats and challenges¡± from the U.S. and South Korea.
North Korea last launched a space rocket in February 2016, when the country claimed to have put an earth-observation satellite into orbit as part of what it said was a lawful space program. The satellite is thought to have never reached orbit.
While the country is barred from conducting ballistic missile tests under United Nations Security Council resolutions, Pyongyang has long claimed it¡¯s entitled to operate a civilian space program for satellite launches.
While the space program was once seen as a key driver of technology for the military program, its importance has decreased over the years as North Korea has greatly enhanced its ability to construct ballistic missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads that could strike the U.S. and America¡¯s allies in Asia.
Still, a satellite launch would add to security concerns that Kim¡¯s state has ratcheted up to levels not seen in years, with tests of new weapons for nuclear strikes.
These have included a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile launched for the first time this month that could be quickly deployed to target the U.S., and new missile systems to hit U.S. troops stationed in South Korea and Japan.
South Korea is also set to launch its own home-grown Nuri rocket next month as it seeks to advance its civilian space program.
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