North Korea to launch first military spy satellite in June

FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae meet with members of the Non-permanent Satellite Launch Preparatory Committee, as he inspects the country's first military reconnaissance satellite, in Pyongyang, North Korea May 16, 2023, in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on May 17, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea will launch its first military reconnaissance satellite in June for monitoring U.S. activities, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday, drawing criticism over its potential use of banned missile technology.

Ri Pyong Chol, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the North's ruling Workers' Party, denounced ongoing joint military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea as openly showing "reckless ambition for aggression."