North Korea’s leader has ordered that the launch of his country’s first military spy satellite proceed “as planned” to ensure its military effectiveness amid regional tensions, the state-run media reported on April 19.
During his visit to the North’s aerospace agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country’s military reconnaissance satellite had been completed and urged officials to speed up final preparations for its launch.
Kim also ordered the future deployment of “several reconnaissance satellites” on different orbits, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. He did not specify the date for the satellite launch.
He said that having an operational military reconnaissance satellite would be crucial for North Korea to cope with the “most hostile rhetoric and explicit action” by the United States and South Korea….