North Korea has issued a warning that it plans to conduct additional spy satellite launches in the coming months to gather more intelligence about the military activities of its adversaries. According to a commentary carried by the state news agency KCNA, North Korea stated that if necessary, it would perfectly execute the task of guiding and leading towards a “super strong strike.” The commentary defended space development as a right to self-defense.
The planned spy satellite launches are expected to follow the Malligyong-1 satellite launched by Pyongyang in November. This previous launch drew condemnation from the governments of the United States, South Korea, and Japan, which argued that it violated UN Security Council resolutions.
The anonymous commentary mentioned the intention to carry out more spy satellite launches while expressing North Korea’s right to defend itself through space development. The statement comes ahead of a trilateral meeting among the national security advisers of the United States, South Korea, and Japan scheduled to take place in Seoul.
Amid these developments, U.S. Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell expressed concern about North Korea’s apparent disinterest in diplomatic efforts with the United States. He emphasized the need for a focus on deterrence while working collaboratively with allies.
Earlier reports indicated that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had examined images of “major target regions” taken by the spy rocket satellite, including South Korea’s capital Seoul and other cities hosting U.S. military bases. Kim reportedly reviewed the images during a visit to the control center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) in Pyongyang.
The satellite captured shots of regions within North Korea, as well as locations with U.S. military bases in South Korea. The report from KCNA mentioned that the National Aerospace Technology Administration reported to Kim Jong Un on the plan for photographing the South Korean region and additional fine-tuning of the reconnaissance satellite.
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