Earlier, Japan's Defense Ministry mentioned that the satellite's deployment "had not been confirmed."
The Japanese government has detected a "certain object" in Earth's orbit that could have been launched by North Korea, as reported by Sarbaz.kz citing the Kyodo news agency.
Previously, Japan's Defense Ministry had stated that the satellite's deployment "had not been confirmed."
"After joint analysis with the US and South Korea, we have confirmed the rotation of a 'certain object' in Earth's orbit," said Japan's Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (quote from Kyodo).
North Korea conducted the launch of its satellite on November 21, on the third attempt. Pyongyang claims that everything went according to plan, successfully placing the reconnaissance satellite "Mulligen-1" into orbit.
Kyodo reports that yesterday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the National Aerospace Development Administration to congratulate the scientists involved in the spy satellite launch.
During his address, he highlighted that the satellite will continuously monitor the military intentions and actions of hostile forces using a powerful telescope.
It's noted that "Mulligen-1" will officially commence its operations on December 1.