DPRK's 1st reconnaissance satellite is ready for launch: Kim Yo Jong
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DPRK leader Kim Jong Un was pictured touring the country's space agency with his daughter in official media photographs.
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DPRK leader Kim Jong-un (right) and his daughter inspecting the National Aerospace Development Administration at an undisclosed place in the DPRK (KCNA)
DPRK leader Kim Jong Un announced the country has concluded building its first military reconnaissance satellite and gave the green light for its launch, as per state media.
Kim gave directions on Tuesday to "make sure that the military reconnaissance satellite No. 1 completed as of April will be launched at the planned date," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
During a visit to the DPRK's National Aerospace Development Administration on Tuesday, he urged staff to "firmly establish the satellite intelligence-gathering capability by deploying several reconnaissance satellites on different orbits in succession."
Kim was pictured touring the space agency with his daughter in official media photographs.
One of the major defense initiatives proposed by Kim in 2021 was the creation of a military reconnaissance satellite.
He asserted on Tuesday that acquiring this equipment for reconnaissance was a "primary task to be indispensably fulfilled" in light of what he saw as threats and aggression from the United States and South Korea.
Recently, Washington and Seoul have ramped up defense cooperation, staging joint military exercises with advanced stealth jets and high-profile US strategic assets.
Concurrently, the DPRK announced that the joint military drills by the two allies are creating tensions on the Korean Peninsula to the "brink of a nuclear war," vowing to respond with "offensive action".
It also warned that "the drills have turned the Korean Peninsula into a huge powder magazine which can be detonated any moment," adding that the international community is hoping for a nuclear war to loom over the Korean Peninsula.
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