SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea says one of its policy goals in 2024 is to launch three additional military reconnaissance satellites to advance North Korea’s military and keep an eye on enemy forces, state media KCNA reported on Sunday.
“Based on the experience of successfully launching and operating the first reconnaissance satellite in 2023, the task of launching three additional reconnaissance satellites in 2024 was declared to vigorously promote the development of space science and technology,” the report said.
North Korea says it successfully launched its first military spy satellite on Nov. 21, transmitting photos of the White House, the Pentagon, U.S. military bases and “target regions” in South Korea.
That successful launch was preceded by two failed attempts last year when its new Chollima-1 rocket crashed into the sea.
The move raised regional tensions and sparked fresh sanctions from the U.S., Australia, Japan and South Korea. Pyongyang has yet to release any imagery from the new satellite, leaving analysts and foreign governments to debate its capabilities.
(Reporting by Cynthia Kim and Josh Smith; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
