North Korea has conducted a test “of great importance” for the development of a reconnaissance satellite, state media reported.
Despite international sanctions, Pyongyang conducted a record number of weapons tests in January. The country suspended those launches during the Beijing Winter Olympics. However, the South Korean military said on Sunday that it had identified the launch of a ballistic missile. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the missile may have been fired from a mobile launch pad at an acute angle, suggesting it was a medium-range ballistic missile.
However, the North Korean news agency KCNA said a test “of great importance for the development of a reconnaissance satellite” was conducted on Sunday. According to the state news agency, the test allowed to confirm the “characteristics and precision of the operation of the high-definition photography system, of the data transmission system and of the height control”. It involved taking pictures of a particular zone on Earth with cameras that will come aboard the reconnaissance satellite, KCNA said.
In a rare joint statement in New York, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Albania, Brazil, Ireland and Norway denounced a “clear violation” of UN resolutions. The countries threatened with international sanctions against North Korea and urged that country to choose diplomacy.
The development of a military reconnaissance satellite, like the recently tested hypersonic weapons, is one of the key defense projects announced by leader Kim Jong-un last year. Analysts say the development of a reconnaissance satellite will provide North Korea with a cover to test the banned Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM). After all, those long-range missiles have the same technology.
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