North Korea said that it launched its first spy satellite into orbit on its third attempt in six months. The move drew condemnation from Western countries, including the United States.
The rocket launched at 10.42 PM local time on Tuesday night (7.13 PM IST) from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station and “put the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 on its orbit,” reported North Korean state-run news agency KCNA, according to Al Jazeera.
After the launch was announced, South Korea on Wednesday suspended a part of its 2018 military agreement with North Korea as the latter defied warning from the United States, reports Reuters. South Korea alleges that Pyongyang had Russian support in developing the satellite.
Before the launch, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had met Vladimir Putin at a Russian space facility in September. At the time, the Russian president promised to help the country build satellites. South Korean officials allege that the North Korean launch likely involved Russian technical assistance and is part of a partnership where the former supplies the latter with artery shells.
“The United States strongly condemns the DPRK for its launch of a space launch vehicle (SLV) using ballistic missile technology, which is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, raises tensions, and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond. This space launch involved technologies that are directly related to the DPRK intercontinental ballistic missile program,” said the White House in a statement on Tuesday.
North Korea’s first attempt to launch a satellite into orbit failed in May this year, and a second attempt failed in August. But following the second failure, North Korean Ambassador Kim Song gave a speech at the United Nations Security Council, asserting that the spy satellite program is the country’s “legitimate right as a sovereign state,” according to CNN.
“The series of provocations by North Korea, including the launch this time, constitute an increasingly grave and imminent threat to our national security, raise serious concerns for the safety of Japanese nationals, and are extremely regrettable and totally unacceptable for Japan. Japan lodges its serious protest, expresses the deep anger of its people and condemns North Korea in the strongest possible terms,” said the Prime Minister of Japan in a press statement.
Even though analysts have raised questions about the capabilities of a North Korean satellite, according to The Guardian, an operation spy satellite will add to military tensions in the region. North Korea could use the satellite to more effectively target South Korea and even Japan in military operations. It can also monitor incoming threats from other countries, including the United States.
Credit: The Indian Express