North Korea begins spy satellite operations, state news agency says

North Korea’s satellite will help equip the country’s armed forces with ‘more solid readiness posture’

This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what the country said is the launch of the Malligyong-1, a military spy satellite, into orbit (AP)

North Korea has said its military satellite has begun its reconnaissance “mission”, days after the country launched its first spy satellite into orbit and drew condemnation for violating sanctions.

The reconnaissance satellite operation office at the country’s space agency will discharge its mission as an independent military intelligence organisation and report acquired information to the army and other major units, state media KCNA said.

The satellite will help equip the country’s nuclear-armed units with a “more solid readiness posture”, it added.

In a launch overseen by Kim Jong-un, North Korea placed its “Malligyong-1” spy satellite into orbit on 21 November, a breakthrough that came after two failed attempts in May and August.

Pyongyang later said its satellite released “detailed pictures” of “major target regions” such as the White House, the Pentagon and air force bases along the US north-east coast and in its Pacific territory of Guam.

The US, South Korea and Japan have confirmed that the satellite has been placed into the orbits but have raised doubts over the capabilities of it as claimed by the Kim regime.

The launch sparked immediate condemnation from the US, South Korea and Japan for violating the UN security council resolutions and sanctions from the US, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

South Korea responded by partially withdrawing from the historic 2018 peace pact, prompting North Korea to fully suspend and move soldiers and weaponry to its border.

North Korea said that the country’s space agency National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) has established a dedicated “Reconnaissance Satellite Operations Office” to carry out the work.

It comes as North Korea warned the US directly that any attempt to destroy or interfere with its new satellite will be deemed as a “declaration of war” and will be met with a thermonuclear attack.

It mentioned a North Korean military commentator who blamed the South for the breakdown of their military confidence-building agreement, justifying its spy satellite launch as what other countries also do.

South Korea launched its first military reconnaissance satellite on Saturday on Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon9 rocket from the Vandenberg US Space Force Base in California.

It was part of South Korea’s contract with an American company to launch a total of five satellites into orbit by 2025, an effort to accelerate its goal of having 24-hour watch over the Korean peninsula.

Additional reporting with agencies