North Korea Claims Successful Launch of First Spy Satellite, Defies Global Condemnation
North Korea Claims Successful Launch of First Spy Satellite, Defies Global Condemnation
North Korea announced the successful placement of its inaugural spy satellite into orbit on Tuesday, pledging further launches, despite strong objections from the United States and its allies.
Reports from South Korea and Japan, the first to relay the launch news, were unable to immediately confirm the satellite's placement in orbit.
Previously informing Japan about its intentions to launch a satellite between Wednesday and December 1, North Korea's latest attempt follows two unsuccessful efforts to launch alleged spy satellites earlier in the year.
Citing the North's National Aerospace Technology Administration, state news agency KCNA reported the launch of the Malligyong-1 satellite via a Chollima-1 rocket from the Sohae satellite launch facility. The satellite entered orbit at 10:54 p.m. (1354 GMT), following the 10:42 p.m. (1342 GMT) launch.
This recent launch marks North Korea's first attempt since leader Kim Jong Un's meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in September, where Putin pledged satellite assistance to Pyongyang.
South Korean officials suggested the likelihood of technical support from Moscow in this latest launch, part of an expanding partnership that has seen North Korea supplying millions of artillery shells to Russia. Both countries have denied such arms deals but are publicly expressing intentions for deeper cooperation.
The U.S. National Security Council condemned the launch, labeling it a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that heightens regional tensions and risks destabilizing the area.
Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the launch, as per KCNA, which coincides with South Korea's plan to send its first spy satellite into space aboard a Falcon 9 rocket operated by U.S.-based company Space X.
The report emphasized North Korea's intent to deploy multiple spy satellites shortly to bolster surveillance capabilities over South Korea and other strategic regions, citing it as a right for self-defense and enhancing military readiness against perceived threats.
Despite South Korea retrieving the wreckage of a previous satellite launched by North Korea in May, analysis revealed limited reconnaissance potential. Satellite experts indicate previous observational satellites launched by North Korea in 2012 and 2016 achieved orbit but question their functionality.
Analysts suggest that even a basic satellite system could grant North Korea the ability to remotely monitor U.S., South Korean, and Japanese military movements, potentially shaping strategies during wartime. This insight, however, might offer some reassurance and stability amidst heightened tensions, according to Ankit Panda from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
South Korea's military suspected the rocket carried a reconnaissance satellite and traveled southward. Japan, initially issuing emergency alarms for residents in Okinawa, later clarified the rocket's trajectory over the Pacific Ocean, retracting the alert.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned North Korea's actions as a violation of U.N. resolutions and a threat to Japanese safety, lodging a formal protest.
Despite coordinated efforts by South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. to monitor the launch using Aegis destroyers, North Korea's actions remain a focal point for international condemnation, prompting discussions in South Korea about potentially suspending parts of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement aimed at reducing tensions due to North Korea's repeated missile launches and drone activities.
