The DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday that the country’s leader, Kim Jong-Un, ordered the modernization of the Sohae launch pad in order to launch multi-purpose satellites, including military reconnaissance satellites.

KCNA reported that Kim visited the Sohae station with representatives of the country’s defense and defense research sector and set a goal to modernize the station.

North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Saturday, Seoul's military reported, which comprises the country's ninth this year only. 

Pyongyang test-fired a slew of weapons in January, including hypersonic and medium-range ballistic missiles, and last week, it launched another ballistic missile.

North Korea's latest test launch, according to newly leaked reports, was part of ongoing research for a "reconnaissance satellite," marking the second such test this year.

The country conducted its ninth missile test of the year on Saturday, claiming to have launched a ballistic missile that traveled around 270 kilometers and reached a maximum height of around 560 kilometers, according to South Korea.

The eighth missile was launched on February 27, including a test-firing of its most powerful missile since high-profile talks between Kim Jong-Un and then-US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Diplomacy has been in decline since then.

Despite international sanctions over its nuclear weapons, Pyongyang has been conducting missiles tests as part of its redoubled efforts to modernize the military, threatening to end a self-imposed embargo on testing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons in January.