North Korea says latest test part of reconnaissance satellite development

Pyongyang says its Sunday launch was part of a reconnaissance satellite project, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reports.

"The DPRK National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) and the Academy of Defence Science conducted an important test on Sunday under the plan of developing a reconnaissance satellite," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said as quoted by Yonhap on Monday.

According to KCNA, the Sunday test helped confirm the accuracy of a photographing system, a transmission system and altitude control devices.

"The [South Korean] government will assess the implications of the latest missile launch based on an in-depth analysis of its specifications while paying close attention to North Korea's claim the test was ... aimed at developing a reconnaissance satellite," Lee Jong-joo, a spokesperson for Seoul's unification ministry, told reporters as quoted by Yonhap on Monday.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Sunday that it detected a North Korean missile launch from in and around the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 7:52 a.m. local time (22:52 GMT on Saturday). The unidentified projectile, likely a ballistic missile, was fired toward the Sea of Japan, the JCS said.

According to the South Korean military, the missile flew around 300 kilometres (186 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 620 kilometres. It fell outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone, according to Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )

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