N Korea says latest test part of reconnaissance satellite project

Pyongyang says its Saturday launch was part of a reconnaissance satellite project, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports.

"The DPRK National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) and the Academy of Defence Science conducted another important test on Saturday under the plan of developing a reconnaissance satellite," the KCNA said on Sunday, as quoted by the South Korean Yonhap news agency.

The Saturday test helped check the reconnaissance satellite's data transmission and control systems, KCNA specified.

On Saturday, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that North Korea test-fired a suspected ballistic missile from around the Sunan area in Pyongyang toward the Sea of Japan. The missile flew about 270 kilometres (168 miles) reaching a maximum altitude of 560 kilometres, according to the South Korean military. It fell outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The Saturday launch was Pyongyang's ninth test since the start of this year.

A similar launch was carried out by Pyongyang last weekend, when a ballistic missile was also test-fired from the Sunan area toward the Sea of Japan, as part of the reconnaissance satellite project, according to KCNA.

(ANI)

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