North Korea said Monday it had fired a test satellite in a final stage for launching its first spy satellite.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) also released low-resolution, black-and-white photos showing a space view of Seoul, the South Korean capital, and Incheon, a city to its west, in an apparent show that the North is pushing to acquire high-tech surveillance against its rival neighbor.
The rocket carrying the test satellite was launched Sunday to assess the satellite’s photography and data transmission systems, according to KCNA.
South Korea, Japan and U.S. authorities said Sunday they had detected a pair of ballistic missile launches by North Korea from its northwestern Tongchang-ri area, where the North’s satellite launch pad is located. They said the two missiles flew about 310 miles at a maximum altitude of 340 miles before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Last week the Pentagon activated U.S. Space Forces Korea at South Korea’s Osan Air Base near Seoul in order to better monitor rival nations North Korea, China and Russia.
