Seoul – Another test for reconnaissance satellite systems was conducted by North Korea reported the state news agency KCNA on Sunday. The tests followed a day after regional military authorities reported the launch of a ballistic missile for the second time in a week.

The launch was condemned by governments in the United States, South Korea, and Japan, who accuse the North of preparing to conduct a major weapons test in coming months. North Korea's satellite launches are seen as thinly veiled tests of ballistic missile technology which are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

It was the ninth missile launch this year. KCNS reported that “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."

The type of rocket used in the launch was not reported by KCNA, however authorities in South Korea said it appeared to be a ballistic missile fired from an area near Pyongyang where its international airport is located.

South Korea's military said the North Korean missile reached a height of about 560 km (350 miles) and flew 270 km (170 miles).

Amid stalled denuclearisation talks, North Korea has conducted a record number of weapons launches in January. The country has also suggested it could resume testing nuclear weapons or its longest range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since 2017.

Saturday's test came just days ahead of a presidential election on Wednesday in South Korea, where officials are bracing for a North Korean attempt to launch its spy satellite into orbit in the near future.

South Korea is also going ahead with plans for its own space launch vehicles, not banned by the UNSC. It plans to test a solid-fuel space projectile this month as part of a project to deploy its own military surveillance satellites to monitor the North, Yonhap news agency reported.
-Reuters