North Korea says the country is ready to officially start on Friday what it claims to be the reconnaissance mission of a military spy satellite it launched last week.

Pyongyang announced that it launched its first military spy satellite, the Malligyong-1, on November 21, in the third attempt of its kind, and successfully placed it into orbit. The country failed in its two previous attempts in May and August.

North Korea's state-run media say leader Kim Jong Un visited the Pyongyang General Control Center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration after the launch and viewed photos taken by the satellite.

The media say the imagery includes photos of the White House and the Pentagon, the US Kadena Air Base in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa, and US bases in South Korea and Guam. Officials in countries concerned are analyzing the capabilities of the possible satellite.

North Korea's ruling Workers' Party is expected to convene a plenary meeting of its Central Committee in December and decide on a plan to launch more reconnaissance satellites next year.

North Korea's five-year defense program entails operations of such satellites. The country's leadership is believed to be attaching importance to developing various types of missiles and enhancing reconnaissance capabilities to constantly and accurately monitor the military activities of the US and other nations.

Analysts say North Korea is intent on bolstering its monitoring of moves by Japan, the US and South Korea, which have been ramping up their security cooperation.