(LEAD) N. Korea says spy satellite transmitted photos of U.S. air base in Guam

▲ A new type of Chollima-1 rocket carrying a reconnaissance satellite called the Malligyong-1 lifts off from the launching pad at the Sohae satellite launch site in Tongchang-ri in northwestern North Korea at 10:42 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2023, in this photo released the next day by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits the Pyongyang General Control Center of the North's National Aerospace Technology Administration on Nov. 22, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-satellite launch

(LEAD) N. Korea says spy satellite transmitted photos of U.S. air base in Guam

By Lee Minji

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with details, remarks from English-language statement, photos)

SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Yonhap) -- A military spy satellite that North Korea claimed it has put into orbit has taken pictures of Andersen Air Force Base and Apra Harbor on the U.S. territory of Guam and transmitted them to Pyongyang, state media reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un viewed the photos sent from the Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite during a visit to the satellite control center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The photos were received at 9:21 a.m., it said.

The announcement came less than a day after the KCNA said the North launched the Malligyong-1 on a new type of Chollima-1 rocket from a launch site in Tongchang-ri on the west coast at 10:42 p.m. Tuesday.

The KCNA also said the satellite will officially begin its mission on Dec. 1., following a "fine-tuning process" that could take up to 10 days.

Kim said during the visit that there is a need to operate "many more" reconnaissance satellites to enhance Pyongyang's self-defense capabilities and the effectiveness of its military strike means.

The remarks came as Kim accused Washington of attempting to turn the region into an "advanced base of their aggressor forces and nuclear arsenal" with the deployment of U.S. military assets to the Korean Peninsula.

The USS Santa Fe (SSN-763), a Los Angeles-class submarine, entered Jeju Naval Base on the southern resort island in the morning in a show of force against the North's satellite launch, a day after the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier arrived at a naval base in the southeastern city of Busan.

"He then stressed the need to launch more various reconnaissance satellites...in order to provide the DPRK armed forces with abundant valuable real-time information about the enemy and further promote their responsive posture," the KCNA said, referring to the North by its official name.

Kim lauded the satellite launch as a "great event" and noted that the North Korean military is now equipped with "'eyes' overlooking a very long distance" and a "strong 'fist' beating a very long distance," in what appeared to be a reference to its reconnaissance satellite and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The KCNA said Pyongyang will discuss plans for the launch of reconnaissance satellites next year in a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party.

Photos released by state media showed Kim inspecting the aerospace facility with officials and a massive screen showing a map of what appeared to be the Korean Peninsula and the nearby region.

Tuesday's launch came as Seoul is set to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Nov. 30.

South Korea and the United States condemned the latest rocket launch as a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions banning any test using ballistic missile technology.

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