Dec 14, 2019 - World

North Korea conducts satellite test for second time in less than a week

Rashaan Ayesh

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un supervised the test firing of a new multiple rocket launcher on July 31. Photo: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images

North Korea said on Saturday that it carried out another satellite launch test near the Chinese border, and that the unspecified test "would help bolster the country's nuclear deterrent," the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: The reported test was conducted Friday evening — making it the second North Korean satellite launch in less than a week, state news agency KCNA said, per Reuters

What they're saying:

“The research successes being registered by us in defense science one after another recently will be applied to further bolstering up the reliable strategic nuclear deterrent of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea."

— spokesman for North Korea's Academy of Defense Science in a statement

The big picture: North Korea's latest satellite test comes as tensions with the U.S. remain high. North Korea has previously told the Trump administration that it has until the end of the year to come up with a deal if the U.S. wants North Korea to stop testing nuclear weapons, the Post notes.

What to watch: U.S. special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun will visit Seoul starting Sunday in an attempt to maintain open dialogue with Pyongyang, South Korea’s foreign ministry announced Friday.

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North Korea conducts satellite test for second time in less than a week

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