North Korea vows second attempt to launch spy satellite

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, centre, attends an enlarged plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)

North Korean officials have vowed to push for a second attempt to launch a spy satellite after labelling a failed first attempt “the most serious” shortcoming of the year, state media reported on Monday.

They harshly criticised the people behind May’s launch which saw a military reconnaissance satellite crash soon after lift-off, posing a setback to leader Kim Jong Un’s bid for a space-base surveillance system.