Washington confirms N. Korea's military spy satellite enters orbit

Washington has confirmed North Korea's military spy satellite did enter the orbit. However, it cast doubts over the regime's claims that the satellite took photos of key U.S. government and military facilities.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Patrick Ryder said there are "plenty" of images of the White House and the Pentagon already available online. Ryder said he had no information to offer regarding the images allegedly taken by the North. His comments come as Pyongyang, earlier this week, said its spy satellite had taken images of the White House, the Pentagon, and other U.S. military facilities.

The regime has yet to release the photos. The Pentagon did, however, confirm that the North's satellite entered orbit, but refused to comment further. "We're aware that it did enter into orbit and that it involved ballistic missile technology. But beyond that, at this point, I'm not going to have any further details provided."

Ryder also reiterated Washington's "ironclad" defense commitment to South Korea, and vowed to maintain close consultation with Seoul and Tokyo to monitor related developments. The U.S. also noted that it is continuing to closely monitor Pyongyang's restoration of guard posts and heavy weapons along the Demilitarized Zone. However, North Korea has declared it's got the White House in its sights thanks to its new spy satellite - which the regime says is up and running.