North Korea has accused South Korea of undermining its weapons development efforts, alleging that new res will have no effect on the country's missile program.
The building of a spy satellite is a "urgent priority directly linked to national security" according to Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
South Korea would "cry out for some kind of international cooperation and try hard to impose additional sanctions on us", she said. "But with our right to survival and development being threatened, why are we afraid of sanctions which we have seen repeatedly so far and is not even the first time, and why would we stop?"
Days before her comments, Pyongyang launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles, describing the test as "important" for creating a spy satellite. The report was made public a day after the militaries of South Korea and Japan reported that the isolated North had fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the direction of its east coast.
According to KCNA, Pyongyang's National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) tested its ground control, data transmission, and satellite imaging capabilities at its Sohae satellite launch facility in the northwest. A mock satellite-carrying vehicle was launched at a "lofted angle" of 500 kilometers along with two multi-spectral cameras, a 20 m resolution full-color camera, picture transmitters, and receivers.
The test, which will be finished by April, was described by the spokesperson as the"final gateway process of launching a reconnaissance satellite". In addition, two low-resolution, black-and-white photos of the nearby port city of Incheon and Seoul, the capital of South Korea, were made public by KCNA on Sunday.
In defiance of international restrictions, North Korea has tested an unprecedented number of missiles this year, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can reach the US mainland.
As part of its efforts to create a new strategic weapon and advance its nuclear and missile programs, the North tested a high-thrust solid-fuel engine. Experts predicted this engine would enable the faster and more mobile launch of ballistic missiles.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of Pyongyang, has stated that the country's pursuit of a spy satellite is intended to provide real-time information on military moves by the U.S. and its allies. Pyongyang has tested satellite equipment during a number of rocket launches.
The North's most recent launch was harshly criticized by the South Korean presidential office, which claimed that the North's ongoing provocations and missile and nuclear development will only put its own government at risk.
