Seoul's unification ministry has urged North Korea to abide by its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and inter-continental ballistic missile(ICBM) tests.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, a ministry official called on the regime to stop provocative actions, maintain the moratorium it promised the international community and work toward peace.

The official said Seoul will not jump to conclusions regarding the North's intentions and continue to monitor its moves in close coordination with relevant countries in the international community, including the U.S., while preparing for all possibilities.

This follows a North Korean media report that its leader Kim Jong-un visited the North’s space agency and reiterated the regime’s plan to deploy a reconnaissance satellite system.

Kim was quoted as saying that a large number of military reconnaissance satellites would be put into sun-synchronous polar orbit within five years, aimed at collecting real-time intelligence.

A long-range rocket used to launch such satellites employs near identical technology as an ICBM and is therefore also considered a breach of the North's moratorium.