North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to launch the first spy satellite as planned, saying that boosting reconnaissance capabilities is a priority to counter “threats” from the United States and South Korea.
During a visit to the National Aerospace Development Administration in Pyongyang on Tuesday, Kim urged deployment of the satellite as scheduled and ordered deploying multiple reconnaissance satellites on different orbits to bolster the country’s surveillance capabilities.
The North’s state-run television KRT released photographs of Kim, accompanied by his daughter, talking to officials in front of a blurred image of an apparent satellite.