 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered officials to launch the first spy satellite as planned, saying that boosting reconnaissance capabilities is a priority to counter threats from the United States and South Korea, state media reported on April 18. During a visit to the National Aerospace Development Administration in Pyongyang on April 18, Kim urged deployment of the satellite as scheduled and ordered deploying multiple reconnaissance satellites on different orbits to bolster the country's surveillance capabilities, state news agency KCNA said. The North's state-run television KRT released photographs of Kim, accompanied by his daughter, talking to officials in front of a blurred image of an apparent satellite.