Pyongyang, November 22 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, visited the Pyongyang General Control Center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) at 10:00 a.m. on Nov. 22 to learn about the operation of the reconnaissance satellite "Malligyong-1" on orbit, its fine-tuning process and the state of aerospace photographing of a specific area under the ground command.

He was accompanied by Kim Jong Sik, vice department director of the C.C., WPK.

The NATA of the DPRK reported to Kim Jong Un that the reconnaissance satellite "Malligyong-1" would formally start its reconnaissance mission from December 1 after finishing 7 to 10 days' fine-tuning process.

Noting that the DPRK has finally developed and possessed aerospace reconnaissance capability by its own efforts and technologies, Kim Jong Un said that it is a great event in developing the armed forces of the Republic and coping with a new military situation in the region. And he highly praised once again the scientists and technicians in the field of aerospace science research for making tangible contributions to the Party's cause of building a powerful and modern army.

Then he watched the aerospace photos of Anderson Air Force Base, Apra Harbor and other major military bases of the U.S. forces taken in the sky above Guam in the Pacific, which were received at 9:21 a.m. on Nov. 22.

Noting that the armed forces of the DPRK have taken in their hands both "eyes" overlooking a very long distance and a strong "fist" beating a very long distance, he stressed once again that it is necessary to operate many more reconnaissance satellites in the aspect of increasing the effectiveness of the powerful military strike means of the DPRK as well as for self-defence.

Underlining the need to take note of the fact that the U.S. imperialists brought the nuclear carrier Carl Vinson and the nuclear-powered submarine Santa Fe to the south Korean region yesterday and today to turn the region into an advanced base of their aggressor forces and nuclear arsenal, he said that to closely monitor and grasp the nature of such maneuvers of the U.S. imperialists and their vassal armies endangering the regional military situation is a serious issue directly related to the security of the DPRK. He then stressed the need to launch more various reconnaissance satellites, put them on different orbits and operate them in a combined and practical manner, as already clarified, in order to provide the DPRK armed forces with abundant valuable real-time information about the enemy and further promote their responsive posture.

Approving the suggestion made by the NATA to submit to the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee the immediate plan for securing the aerospace reconnaissance capability for monitoring south Korea and the Pacific and their vicinity, he said that the above-said plenary meeting would discuss and decide the plan for the launch of reconnaissance satellite for 2024. -0-

www.kcna.kp (Juche112.11.22.)