North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrated a “new era of space power” with scientists and his family after launching a spy satellite into orbit, state media said on Friday.
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After two failures in May and August, a rocket launched from North Korea on Tuesday and put the Malligyong-1 military observation satellite into orbit, North Korean media reported. South Korea confirmed on Thursday that the launch into orbit was successful.
The launch was “a full exercise of the right to self-defense,” Kim Jong Un said during a visit to the national space agency, according to the official Korean news agency in Pyongyang.
The spy satellite will help protect the North from “dangerous and aggressive movements of hostile forces” and usher in “a new era of space power” in the country, he said.
Pictures released by Pyongyang show the North Korean number one, accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae, praising scientists and staff at the space agency, recently renamed the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA in English).
Wearing a black leather coat, Kim Jong Un smiles as he greets uniformed staff who appear to enthusiastically applaud the leader and his daughter.
State media published images of Kim Jong Un at a reception with NATA employees, senior military and political officials, as well as his daughter and wife Ri Sol Ju.
The leader’s family and others at the reception are seen wearing T-shirts with the words “NATA” in English in these pictures.
All participants “clapped enthusiastically and thanked” Kim Jong Un, KCNA said.
Following the launch, Seoul on Wednesday partially suspended a 2018 military agreement with North Korea to prevent armed incidents along the inter-Korean border and immediately deployed “surveillance and reconnaissance assets” along that border.
North Korea’s defense ministry called Seoul’s actions “reckless” and said it would also suspend the agreement entirely.
Experts say putting a working spy satellite into orbit would improve Pyongyang’s intelligence capabilities and provide crucial data in the event of a military conflict.