North Korea's commander has directed that the launch of his country's first military surveillance satellite go forward "as planned" to maintain military efficiency in the face of regional tensions, according to state-run media on April 19.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced during a visit to the North's aerospace agency that the country's military surveillance satellite had been finished and encouraged authorities to expedite final preparations for its launch.
Kim also directed the deployment of "several reconnaissance satellites" in various orbits in the future, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He did not mention a launch date for the satellite.
He stated that possessing a functional military surveillance satellite would be critical for North Korea to deal with the "most hostile rhetoric and explicit action" from the US and South Korea.
Last year, North Korea completed the spy satellite's final stage test to assess the capabilities of the satellite photography and data transmission system.
KCNA issued black-and-white images of Seoul and Incheon at the time, which when enlarged revealed regions surrounding the South Korean presidential office in Seoul.
