TOKYO (Sputnik) – Pyongyang claimed to have put a satellite into orbit on February 7 in defiance of a UN Security Council resolution banning it from launching rockets that could be used as ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads.
Kim urged to build on the "present great success as a springboard" and called for more research toward "launching more working satellites," according to the North Korean state news service.
The North Korean leader reportedly spoke at a Saturday banquet for engineers and scientists involved in the controversial launch attended by his wife, as well as senior legislative and military officials.
The United States stepped up efforts at deploying THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea in response to the perceived threat from the North.
