North Korea planning to launch 3 more military spy satellites next year

PYONHYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is planning to launch three additional spy satellites next year, Yonhap news agency reported, citing Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The announcement comes after the successful launch of the country's first military reconnaissance satellite last month.

North Korean leader set forth the goal as he wrapped up five days of the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea on Saturday, as reported by 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 space science technology were discussed," the report said.

Recently, North Korea successfully put a military spy satellite, Malligyong-1, into orbit on November 21 after two failed attempts in May and August.

However, 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, reported Yonhap news agency.

"We need to swiftly respond to a possible nuclear crisis and mobilize all physical means, including nuclear force, in a bid to accelerate preparations for the great event of putting the entire territory of South Korea under our control," Kim said.

He further boosted the country's nuclear arsenal as the top policy priority for next year and ordered the Navy to enhance its military capabilities, Yonhap news agency reported citing KCNA. Kim called for developing powerful unmanned armed aerial vehicles and means for electronic warfare in a bid to accomplish its key defence projects.

Highlighting the inter-Korean ties, Kim stated that he will no longer consider South Korea a counterpart for reconciliation and unification, adding that 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, Yonhap news agency reported.

Calling for a "fundamental change" in dealing with South Korea, the North's leader said that inter-Korean relations have become those of "two hostile countries" or "countries engaged in the state of combat."

Reportedly, relations between South and North Korea remained sharply strained this year as the latter focused on advancing its nuclear and missile programs, including the launch of solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.

North Korea's leader vowed an "offensive and ultra-powerful" stance against the US in 2024, denouncing Washington's deployment of strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula and its military drills with Seoul. "If the US and the South pursue military confrontations with us, we will not hesitate to take critical action against them with our nuclear deterrence," Kim said.

Earlier in September, North Korea amended the constitution to enshrine the policy of strengthening its nuclear force, according to Yonhap news agency. Moreover last year, the country enacted a new nuclear law authorizing the preemptive use of nuclear arms, calling its status as a nuclear state "irreversible." At last year's party plenary meeting, Kim called South Korea an 'undoubted enemy' and called for an 'exponential' increase in the country's nuclear arsenal and the development of tactical nuclear weapons.