North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un said his country has built its first-ever military spy satellite and that he planned to launch it on an undisclosed date, state media reported Wednesday.
Previous rocket and missile tests have shown North Korea can send satellites into space, but many experts question whether it has cameras advanced enough to be used for spying from a satellite because only low-resolution images have been released after previous launches.
During a visit to the country's aerospace agency on Tuesday, Kim stated that having a military reconnaissance satellite is crucial for North Korea to use its nuclear-capable missiles effectively.
Kim cited what he described as serious security threats posed by the "most hostile rhetoric and overt action" by the US and South Korea this year, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Kim said the "Military Reconnaissance Satellite No. 1" had already been built and ordered officials to speed up preparations for its launch.
North Korea said its continued run of weapons tests, including the first test-fire of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile designed to hit the US mainland last week, is a response to joint military exercises between the US and its regional allies in South Korea and Japan.
North Korea has conducted about 100 missile tests since the beginning of last year, including about 30 this year.
The US and South Korean militaries have expanded joint exercises in response to North Korea's growing nuclear threats.
This week, the Allies began a 12-day air exercise with the participation of 110 warplanes and organized a one-day naval missile defense exercise with Japan.
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