North Korea has conducted “an important final-stage test” for the development of a spy satellite that it plans to complete by next April, state-run media reported Monday, a day after it fired two ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan.
Pyongyang fired off the two medium-range ballistic missiles just days after Japan approved wide-ranging changes to its security policy, including a commitment to acquiring a so-called counterstrike capability, which would allow it to strike enemy bases and command sites — including inside North Korea.
A spokesman for the North’s National Aerospace Development Administration said the tests, mainly aimed at evaluating its satellite photography, data-transmission and ground-control capabilities, had been carried out from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, the official Korean Central News Agency said in a report.
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