The launch of North Korea’s first spy satellite, the construction of which has just been completed, was ordered by the country’s leader Kim Jong-un, according to the official KCNA news agency.

During his visit to the country’s space agency, Kim Jong-un demanded that “the first military reconnaissance spy satellite, which was completed in April, be launched on a predetermined date.”

Kim, who inspected North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration with his daughter, did not specify a launch date. Addressing agency staff, he called for the deployment of “many reconnaissance satellites in various orbits.”

The acquisition of military intelligence technology is North Korea’s “primary goal,” Kim said, in order, he explained, to counter threats and aggression from Seoul and Washington.

The remarks come just days after Pyongyang announced it had successfully tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), an important development in the country’s weapons program.

In December 2020, North Korea revealed that it had conducted the “last major test” of its spy satellite deployment. These claims were immediately disputed by the experts.

The development of a spy satellite was one of the key plans for North Korea’s defense program, which Kim unveiled in 2021.

“It appears that North Korea will launch its satellite, which remains ‘token’, and gradually improve it,” said Ahn Chang-il, director of the Global Institute for North Korean Studies.

“If China and Russia do not offer it technological support, it will be difficult for North Korea to conduct espionage activities on its own equipment,” he calculated.

Sources: APE-MPE, AFP, Reuters.