North Korea announces it will launch more military satellites

North Korean media said Pyongyang will launch more satellites in the near future to gather guidance for a "super-powerful strike."

"We will have to put more reconnaissance satellites into orbit in a short time, collect all information related to military activities against the DPRK in such areas as the Korean Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean , and establish a more thorough and effective deterrence mechanism," KCNA news agency reported on December 9.

According to KCNA, the new satellites will be based on the Malligyong-1, which North Korea successfully launched in November. North Korea said Malligyong-1 took pictures of many US military bases and some administrative buildings.

North Korean satellites will "keep watch in space", providing real-time information on "the hostile forces' military moves against the DPRK and guiding our super-powerful strikes", KCNA said.

A North Korean satellite-carrying rocket is launched from a launch site in Tongchang-ri, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province on November 21. Photo: KCNA — A North Korean satellite-carrying rocket is launched from a launch site in Tongchang-ri, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province on November 21. Photo: *KCNA*

The KCNA post also criticized the US for "double standards" in calling North Korea's satellite launch a "threat to regional and global security" while defending similar activities by allies and partners such as South Korea, Japan and Israel.

In another article on KCNA, international affairs expert Ro Ju-hyon said South Korea "recklessly provided military aid to Ukraine".

The comments came after it was reported that South Korea was the second-largest supplier of 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine, behind the US and more than "all European countries combined".

North Korea announced the successful launch of the Malligyong-1 military reconnaissance satellite on the night of November 21. The US, Japan and South Korea "strongly condemned North Korea's satellite launch, which destabilizes the region".

The United States, South Korea and Japan say Pyongyang used ballistic missile technology in the launch, violating multiple Security Council resolutions. This weekend’s meeting between representatives of the three allies in Seoul is expected to focus on the threat from North Korea’s missiles and a number of global concerns.

A North Korean defense ministry spokesman warned earlier in December that any interference with its satellite operations would be a declaration of war. North Korea also stressed that it would conduct a “war deterrent” if any attack on its strategic weapons was imminent.

Thanh Danh (According to Reuters )

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