According to reports from state media in North Korea, the nation has carried out an “important, final phase” test as part of its plan to produce a military reconnaissance satellite by April 2023.
The National Aerospace Development Administration of North Korea carried out the test on Sunday at the country’s Sohae satellite launching station in Cholsan, which is located in the North Pyongan Province, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday.
According to KCNA, a rocket carrying a “test-piece satellite” was launched at a “lofted angle” to an altitude of 500 kilometers (311 miles) and contained multiple cameras, image transmitters and receivers, a control device, and a storage battery.
The purpose of the test, according to KCNA, was to evaluate a ground control system, satellite imaging capabilities, and data transmission.
In the KCNA dispatch, an unidentified North Korean aerospace spokesperson stated, “We confirmed important technical indicators such as camera operating technology in the space environment, data processing and transmission capability of the communication devices, and tracking and control accuracy of the ground control system.”
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North Korea intends to finish “arrangements for the principal military surveillance satellite by April 2023,” the authority said in the KCNA report.
Yonhap, a South Korean news agency, reported on Monday that KCNA also released satellite images of Seoul and its neighboring city of Incheon, which were “presumed to have been shot from the test-piece satellite.”
Two medium-range ballistic missiles were also launched by North Korea on Sunday, traveling an estimated 500 kilometers (311 miles) before collapsing in the sea off the eastern coast of the nation. Pyongyang announced on Friday that it had tested a high-thrust solid-fuel engine that, according to experts, would make it easier and more mobile to launch its arsenal of ballistic missiles.
Top South Korean security officials deplored North Korea’s continued provocations in an emergency meeting on Sunday, despite “the plight of its citizens moaning in hunger and cold due to a serious food shortage,” they said.
According to the presidential office, South Korea will respond by intensifying trilateral security cooperation with the United States and Japan.
Read: According to North Korea, a “high-thrust solid-fuel motor” was tested
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, has promised to develop high-tech weapons, such as spy satellites and tactical nuclear weapons, in order to both deter and provide real-time information on military actions that he claims are threatening his country from the United States, its regional allies South Korea and Japan.
In defiance of international sanctions, Pyongyang has tested a record number of ballistic missiles this year, including the “monster missile” Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
To give itself a stronger offensive foundation against threats from China and North Korea, the Japanese government adopted a national security strategy on Friday that would enable it to carry out preemptive strikes and double its military spending.
The strategy departs significantly from Japan’s post-World War II military posture of strict self-defense. China is listed as “the biggest strategic challenge” to Japan’s efforts to maintain peace, safety, and stability in the Japanese strategy, ahead of North Korea and Russia.
A fleet of five Chinese warships, including an aircraft carrier, had been observed the previous day off the southern Japanese island of Okidaitojima, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry on Sunday. According to ministry officials, Chinese fighter jets and helicopters were practicing takeoffs and landings on the carrier. Japan responded by sending a destroyer and scrambling fighter jets to the area.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
