Kim Jong-un takes daughter on space agency visit and orders launch of spy satellite

Leader seen smoking a cigarette and talking to officials watched by Kim Ju-ae

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter inspecting the National Aerospace Development Administration (KCNA/KNS/AFP/Getty)

North Korea has built and will soon launch its first military spy satellite, Kim Jong-un said after touring the country’s space agency with his daughter.

Launching the spy satellite into orbit would be a violation of UN sanctions.

State media released pictures of Mr Kim touring the National Aerospace Development Administration facility with his daughter, thought to be 10-years-old and called Kim Ju-ae, who has accompanied him to other recent events such as missile launches and military parades. He was seen apparently smoking a cigarette and talking to officials.

North Korea has conducted missile and rocket tests previously, demonstrating its ability to send satellites into space, but analysts questioned whether it has cameras sophisticated enough to use for spying on a satellite after only low-resolution images were released after past launches.

In December, the country said it conducted the “final phase” test for the spy satellite, releasing grainy black and white pictures showing the space view of South Korean cities.

Experts at that time said that the pictures were too crude to use for surveillance purposes and that they were likely capable of only recognising big targets like warships or military installations.

State media KCNA reported that the satellite production has been completed, but it did not reveal the launch date.

Mr Kim said it was natural for North Korea to boost its military deterrence in the face of serious security threats posed by “the most hostile rhetoric and explicit action” by the US and South Korea.

Kim Jong-un, smoking a cigarette. with his daughter (AP)

The North Korean leader highlighted the US deployment of “nuclear carriers, nuclear strategic bombers and other huge strategic assets of various missions” in the Korean Peninsula, possibly suggesting that it could use reconnaissance satellites to identify key targets in South Korea, including US military bases.

Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said North Korea will likely inform international maritime and telecommunication authorities of its launch plans, likely sometime between May and September.

UN sanctions on North Korea against the launch of satellites were imposed after it send its first and second observation satellites into orbit in 2012 and 2016. But foreign experts say neither transmitted imagery back to North Korea.