North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has announced that his country has completed the development of its first military spy satellite and has ordered officials to proceed with a planned launch. The development of reconnaissance capabilities is a priority for North Korea to counter “threats” from the United States and South Korea, according to Kim. He stated that several satellites were necessary to firmly establish an intelligence-gathering capability. Kim urged the deployment of the satellite as scheduled but did not elaborate on the launch date.
In December, North Korea conducted what it called an important “final phase” test for a spy satellite and said it would complete preparations for the launch by April. Kim said that “securing real-time information about the hostile forces’ military scenario” is the “most important” task. He also accused the US and South Korea of expanding hostile military campaigns in the name of bolstering their alliance and claimed that the US was trying to “to turn South Korea into an advanced base for aggression and an arsenal for war” by deploying military assets like aircraft carriers and nuclear-capable bombers in the region.
The US and South Korean militaries have been expanding their combined drills to beef up their deterrence against North Korea’s growing nuclear threats. This week, they launched a 12-day aerial exercise involving some 110 warplanes and staged a one-day naval missile defence exercise with Japan. Kim accused the US of trying “to turn South Korea into an advanced base for aggression and an arsenal for war” by deploying military assets like aircraft carriers and nuclear-capable bombers in the region.
Observers say that while North Korea complains about the US-South Korean drills, it also uses them as a pretext to advance its capabilities and ratchet up the pressure on Washington to make concessions. “As the US and South Korea are scheming to further tighten their military posture against the DPRK … it is quite natural for the DPRK to develop its military deterrence strong enough to cope with the serious security environment at present and in the future,” Kim said, according to KCNA.
Putting a spy satellite into orbit would require a long-range rocket. But these launches are banned by the United Nations, which views such activity as a cover for testing long-range ballistic missile technology. Pyongyang placed its first and second Earth observation satellites into orbit in 2012 and 2016, drawing new UN sanctions, but foreign experts say neither one transmitted any imagery back to North Korea.
Despite its continued weapons testing in violation of UN resolutions, North Korea has avoided new censure because Russia and China – permanent members of the UN Security Council with the right of veto – have refused to support attempts by the US and others to tighten sanctions.