A TV news screen at Seoul’s Yongsan Railway Station shows a report that North Korea’s reconnaissance satellite has entered orbit.
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North Korea said on Saturday that it would consider any interference with its satellite operations a declaration of war and that it would act to prevent war if any attack against its strategic assets was imminent.
Pyongyang will respond to any US interference in space by eliminating the viability of US spy satellites, state media KCNA reported, citing a statement from North Korea’s Defense Ministry spokesman .
“Should the US attempt to violate the legitimate territory of a sovereign state by using the latest technologies illegally and unjustly, the DPRK will consider taking countermeasures for self-defense to weaken or destroy the viability of US spy satellites,” the statement said.
DPRK is the initials of the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
North Korea said it successfully launched its first military spy satellite on Nov. 21, sending images of military installations on the US mainland, Japan and the US territory of Guam.
A spokesman for the US Space Command, questioned whether Washington has the ability to disrupt North Korean satellite reconnaissance operations, said the US could deny an adversary’s space capabilities using a variety of methods, according to the US broadcaster RFA.
Later on Saturday, North Korean state media released commentary by a North Korean international relations analyst, who argued that “the United States, the world’s largest satellite owner,” should face the United Nations Security Council if the sending satellites is considered a crime.
“In the event of an unexpected clash in the Northeast Asia region around the Korean peninsula, the US, which continues to put pressure on the DPRK’s security space through escalating military threats and blackmail, will be fully responsible for catastrophic situation,” the commentary said.
It also blamed the United States for joint military exercises with Japan and South Korea, as well as the display of its nuclear-powered aircraft.
The United States on Thursday targeted North Korea with new sanctions after the launch, which has designated foreign-based agents it accuses of facilitating sanctions evasion to raise revenue and technology for its weapons of mass destruction program. this.
South Korea on Friday blacklisted 11 North Koreans for involvement in the country’s satellite and ballistic missile development, banning them from financial transactions.
