North Korea prepares to launch first spy satellite

Kim Jong-un took his daughter on a field trip on Wednesday to inspect the “ready-to-operate No. 1 military reconnaissance satellite,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, which is designed to monitor US and allied forces in Asia.

In the KCNA report, the leader stressed the importance of the spy satellite. Although no launch date has been set, North Korea is likely to want to launch it before South Korea launches its domestically produced space rocket, the Nuri, designed to carry the satellite into orbit on May 24.

Kim Jong-un's public appearance at the satellite production facility was his first in 28 days, NK News reported. He reappeared just before G7 leaders gather in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Friday to discuss current issues including security threats.

Recent commercial satellite images of North Korea's Sohae Satellite Launching Station show continued construction progress at several key facilities, and a launch pad is under construction, 38 North reported this week.

“We used to view North Korea’s space launches as disguised ICBM tests — but that no longer seems to be the case given their recent public test launches of ICBM-class missiles,” said David Schmerler, a senior research fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

“They’ve made a lot of progress since they last launched a space rocket. Their new space launch vehicle will incorporate a lot of the technology they’ve developed so far, and it’s very likely that their new system will be much more advanced.” However, the fact that North Korea is preparing to launch its first spy satellite will also raise some concerns, Bloomberg reported.

Nguyen Quang Minh (Bloomberg)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/bloomberg-trieu-tien-chuan-bi-phong-ve-tinh-do-tham-dau-tien-a608451.html