North Korea says it will launch its first military spy satellite in June

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it plans to launch its first military spy satellite in June. A military official described space-based reconnaissance as crucial for monitoring the United States’ military exercises with South Korea. North Korea had told Japan’s coast guard on Monday that it planned to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11 and that the event may affect nearby waters. In comments published on state media, senior North Korean military official Ri Pyong Chol berated the combined U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which Pyongyang has long described as an invasion rehearsal.