North Korea said on Sunday it has conducted another “important test” for developing a “reconnaissance satellite”.
“The DPRK National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) and the Academy of Defence Science conducted another important test on Saturday under the plan of developing a reconnaissance satellite,” Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a report.
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The DPRK is the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Through the test, the NADA “confirmed the reliability of data transmission and reception system of the satellite, its control command system and various ground-based control systems”, Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA as further saying.
The report however, did not provide additional details.
On Saturday, the North fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea, its ninth show of force this year, according to South Korea’s military.
Launched from around the Sunan area in Pyongyang, the missile flew about 270 km at a top altitude of 560 km, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
On Saturday, South Korea’s presidential National Security Council convened an emergency meeting and condemned the North’s missile launch, calling for Pyongyang to halt acts that raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The North has launched a barrage of missiles, including an intermediate-range ballistic missile, since the start of this year.
On February 27, the North launched a ballistic missile and announced the next day that it carried out an “important test” to confirm the accuracy of the “photographing system, data transmission system and attitude control devices” to develop a reconnaissance satellite.
Saturday’s show of force came ahead of South Korea’s presidential election on March 9.
