Responding to US-South Korea military exercises, North Korea launches satellite to strengthen comprehensive deterrence

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected the country's first military spy satellite as it prepares for launch. (Source: AFP)

In a statement carried by the KCNA news agency, Ri Pyong Chol, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party, condemned the joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea as an open display of their ambitions.

US and South Korean forces conducted their largest joint live-fire exercise last week, Reuters reported, amid scaling back many drills amid COVID-19 restrictions and hopes for diplomatic efforts with North Korea.

Mr Ri said the drills required Pyongyang to have “means capable of gathering information on the opponent’s military actions in real time”.

"We will comprehensively review current and future threats and put into practice more thoroughly activities to enhance our comprehensive and realistic war deterrence," Ri said.

Meanwhile, a US State Department spokesman affirmed that any satellite launch by North Korea would violate United Nations Security Council (UN) resolutions banning Pyongyang from launching long-range missiles.

Previously, North Korea informed the Japanese government of its plan to launch a satellite into space between May 31 and June 11.