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In his grand return to state media after nearly a month’s absence, Kim Jong-un visited the assembly plant for the “future” military reconnaissance satellite. The North Korean leader also validated the move to the next phase, that is, the placing of the device into orbit. Although no launch date has been announced, it would be a new violation of UN sanctions by Pyongyang, since the launch of a satellite or a ballistic missile is based on the same technology.
With our correspondent in Seoul, Nicolas Rocca
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected his country’s first spy satellite and approved a “future action plan” for its use, state media reported on Wednesday.
Kim met with the Non-Standing Satellite Launch Preparatory Committee on Tuesday before observing the satellite, the official KCNA news agency reported.
According to Kim Jong-un, sending a reconnaissance satellite had been set as a goal above all from 2021 as a necessary response to the “confrontational maneuvers” of the United States and South Korea. With the development of its first spy satellite, Pyongyang would exercise its right to self-defense, says the North Korean leader.
New stage of the space program
As usual, accompanied by his daughter, he approved the plans to put the satellite into orbit. This new stage of the North Korean space program is supposed to allow the regime to obtain images in real time, through the clouds, day and night. This is a valuable resource for the regime to attack military targets with precision. Although Kim Jong-un validated the “future action plan”, no date has been announced for the launch of the device.
Greatly improved ballistic and technological capabilities
However, recent satellite images have revealed that work around the Sohae launch pad has resumed in recent weeks after a six-month hiatus. This was where the regime last launched a satellite in 2016; at the time, experts said the device was not capable of sending images to North Korea. Since then, Pyongyang’s ballistic and technological capabilities have improved markedly.
