The North Korean government announced Thursday morning that it was testing a recent satellite system to monitor the US military.
Pyongyang state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had said that the recent development of an reconnaissance satellite was aimed at gathering information about the US military in the region and its "unarmed forces".
According to the Yonhap news agency, quoting the report, Kim made these remarks during a visit to the North Korean space agency.
North Korea Central News Agency wrote:
He (Kim) expressed satisfaction with the method of satellite photography, which confirmed the operational characteristics of high-resolution photographic equipment and the reliability of the image transmission system through recent important experiments.
On Sunday morning, North Korea's state-run media reported that a major test had been carried out on a reconnaissance satellite system in the country's latest launch.
It was North Korea's second missile launch in a week to test satellite equipment and its ninth this year.
The North Korean leader had previously instructed North Korean officials to review the resumption of temporarily suspended activities. Pyongyang has imposed a voluntary suspension of nuclear test and intercontinental ballistic missiles since late 2017.