Anchor: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un checked up on final preparations for the imminent launch of the regime’s first military spy satellite. With the leader approving the action plan put forth by the committee in charge, all that remains is a set date for the launch.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un conducted an inspection of the regime's first military reconnaissance satellite on Tuesday.

The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday that Kim oversaw the satellite preparatory committee the previous day, where he checked the overall assembly and inspected the satellite now ready to be loaded on a rocket.

The regime leader stressed that the satellite launch is an "urgent requirement" in light of the current national security environment.

This was Kim's first public appearance in about a month after declaring the satellite’s completion on a visit to the regime's space development agency and ordering the formation of the launch preparatory committee.

The leader's approval of the committee’s latest action plan signals that the launch may be imminent, with satellite images showing that a mobile assembly building at the North's Tongchang-ri satellite launch facility has been restored.

However, Pyongyang is not expected to conduct a surprise launch ahead of the Group of Seven Summit set to open later this week in Japan, instead adhering to the international notification process in advance to justify the satellite activity.

Experts forecast the launch to occur after June, possibly around the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice on July 27, which the North calls "Victory Day." 
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.

[Photo : YONHAP News]