Seoul | North Korea claimed it successfully put a spy satellite into orbit after two attempts earlier this year ended in failure, as leader Kim Jong-un pledged to place more in the sky to keep an eye on US forces in the region.

Mr Kim presided over the launch, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Wednesday, adding the country wants to fire off several additional spy satellites within a short period. There has been no confirmation of a successful deployment from the US, Japan or South Korea, which have all been closely watching the launch and are working with each other to evaluate the event.

Bloomberg