Kim Jong-un orders launch of military reconnaissance satellite as planned

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Pyongyang has completed building its first military spy satellite and ordered final preparations to launch the satellite as planned, the North's state media reported on Wednesday, a move that is expected to further heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim made the remarks during an on-site inspection to the North's space development agency on Tuesday, as Pyongyang has vowed to complete preparations of the launch of a military spy satellite by the end of this month, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency

Kim "set forth the militant task to organise a non-permanent satellite-launching preparatory committee to make sure that the military reconnaissance satellite No. 1 completed as of April will be launched at the planned date, speed up its final preparations and firmly establish the satellite intelligence-gathering capability by deploying several reconnaissance satellites in different orbits in succession in the future", Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA report as saying.

Kim also stressed that the planned launch and operation of the reconnaissance satellite is the "most crucial primary task" for the North to strengthen its military effectiveness of war deterrence against what it called schemes by South Korea and the US to bolster their military posture against the North.

In December last year, North Korea said it had conducted an "important final-stage" test at its rocket launching facility for putting a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit.

During the visit, which marked Kim's first visit to the agency since March last year, the North Korean leader justified the possession of the reconnaissance satellite as a means of self-defence that can "never be abandoned".

A KCNA published a photo showing a screen displaying the purported military satellite -- a hexagon-shaped structure carrying four solar panels. Analysts estimated it could weigh 200-300 kg.

Kim's directive at the agency to produce "standardised and reliable carrier rockets on a full scale" raised questions over what launch platform the North would employ for its first spy satellite liftoff.

Wednesday's report comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula as the North has not responded to routine cross-border calls through inter-Korean liaison and military communication lines since April 7.

Pyongyang has recently conducted other major weapons tests, such as the launch of the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM this month and what it claimed to be underwater nuclear attack drones, in protest against combined springtime military drills between South Korea and the US.