North Korea’s state media said Sunday that the country had carried out the tests needed to build a spy satellite, signaling that the rogue state could soon launch a long-range missile despite a United Nations ban.
The Korean Central News Agency said on Sunday that North Korea has conducted “another major test” to verify the transmission and reception of the reconnaissance satellite’s data and control systems, the Associated Press reported.
However, it remains unclear if there is a camera in North Korea that could produce high enough resolution images to have spying capabilities. The country would need to launch a long-range rocket to put such a satellite into orbit.
“While North Korea may succeed in what it calls a ‘spy satellite launch’, it will likely take a very long time for North Korea to acquire militarily important intelligence technology due to heavy international sanctions that restrict its imports of high-tech equipment and its poor civilian technology,” Cheong Seong-Chang, an analyst at the Sejong Institute in South Korea, told AP.
Sunday’s announcement marked the second test of its kind in about a week, noting an increased likelihood of a long-range missile launch.
The message comes after North Korea conducted a ballistic missile test at sea on Saturday.
After the launch was discovered by the South Korean military, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that US and South Korean intelligence officers were analyzing the situation.
After several launches in January, North Korean officials warned they might resume nuclear testing due to what they called US hostility.