North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter were pictured examining a military spy satellite the country is expected to launch soon.
The leader visited an aerospace facility where he described space reconnaissance as crucial to countering the United States and South Korea.
During his visit, Kim endorsed an unspecified “future plan of action” in preparations for the satellite’s launch, the official Korean News Agency (KCNA) said.
Kim and her daughter Kim Ju Ae, believed to be around nine, were seen wearing white coats talking to scientists near an object that looked like the main component of a satellite in footage released by the Rodong newspaper Sinmon of the country. .
The newspaper did not identify the object, which was surrounded by a perimeter of bureaucracy.
Spy satellites are among a host of advanced weapons systems that Kim has pledged to develop.
Photo: KCNA/Reuters
Last month, the leader said construction of the satellite was complete and gave it the go-ahead for launch.
KCNA said it was considered ready to be loaded onto a rocket after scientists put it through tests to confirm whether it would withstand the environment of space.
North Korea has not disclosed a target date for the launch, which some analysts say could be in the coming weeks.
This launch would use long-range missile technology prohibited by previous UN Security Council resolutions, although previous missile and rocket tests have demonstrated North Korea’s ability to send a satellite into the space.
Photo: KCNA/Reuters
But some South Korean analysts say the satellite shown in state media photos appears too small and crudely designed to support high-resolution images.
South Korea has said a North Korean satellite launch would violate various UN Security Council resolutions banning the North from any launch involving ballistic technologies and would “threaten regional peace and stability”.
Kim said acquiring a spy satellite would be crucial to his efforts to bolster defenses as “US imperialists and (South) Korean puppet villains step up their confrontational moves” against the North, KCNA said. .
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He was apparently referring to the expansion of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.
North Korea placed its first and second Earth observation satellites into orbit in 2012 and 2016, but foreign experts say neither transmitted images to North Korea.
The UN Security Council has issued sanctions for these launches.
