N. Korea to launch 3 more military spy satellites next year: state media

▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends the second-day session of a year-end plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang on Dec. 27, 2023, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Kim called for stepped-up efforts to prepare for war, saying the United States is engaged in "unprecedented" acts of confrontation against the country. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

NK leader-key party meeting

N. Korea to launch 3 more military spy satellites next year: state media

SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Yonhap) -- North Korea aims to launch three additional spy satellites next year, state media reported Sunday, after the successful launch of the country's first military reconnaissance satellite last month.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un set forth the goal as he wrapped up five days of the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"Based on the experience of successfully launching and operating the first spy satellite in 2023 in the space development sector, the task of launching three more spy satellites in 2024 was unveiled and all-out measures to spur the development of the space science technology were discussed," the KCNA said.

The North successfully put a military spy satellite, named the Malligyong-1, into orbit on Nov. 21 after two failed attempts in May and August. There are suspicions that North Korea might have received technical support from Russia in return for its arms supplies for use in Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Kim also said he will no longer consider South Korea a counterpart for reconciliation and unification, saying Seoul has declared the North as a main enemy. The Workers' Party has also concluded that unification with South Korea is not possible, Kim was quoted as saying.

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