NKorea to launch several spy satellites this year

North Korea said Monday it was on its way to becoming a “space power” and vowed to put several more reconnaissance satellites into orbit this year, following its first successful launch in November.

“Great progress has been made in strengthening the national defense capability with the successful launch of the reconnaissance satellite ‘Malligyong-1’ last year,” Pak Kyong Su, vice director of the North’s National Aerospace Technology Administration said, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which manages inter-Korean affairs, said Monday that Seoul is monitoring launch sites and key facilities.