North Korea's first spy satellite launch imminent

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un instructed officials to make preparations to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite as planned, the North's state media reported Wednesday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim visited the National Space Development Agency on Tuesday.

According to KCNA, Kim emphasized that the officials need to complete preparations of the launch of a military spy satellite by the end of this month during the visit.

As a result, it is analyzed that the North Korea's launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite is imminent, raising the risk of the situation on the Korean Peninsula getting worse.

Experts expect that the launch could be carried out as early as this month if weather conditions such as wind speed and wind direction are met.

In particular, there is a possibility that it will be launched on the date of the South Korea-US summit scheduled to be held in Washington DC on the 26th.

Write to Dong-hyun Kim at 3code@hankyung.com