South Korea's Defense Ministry on December 4 successfully launched a solid-fuel rocket from a floating launch platform off the coast of Jeju Island. The rocket sent a small earth observation satellite into orbit about 650 kilometers high, according to Yonhap.
Solid fuel missile launched near South Korea's Jeju Island on December 4.
The 100-kilogram satellite, built by Hanwha Systems, sent signals back to the ground after the launch, meaning it was functioning normally. The rocket was developed by the Korea Agency for Defense Development.
This is the third test launch of the solid-fuel rocket, which is easier to use and more cost-effective than liquid-fuel devices.
The South Korean Defense Ministry plans to develop this missile to build a satellite surveillance system. On December 1, a South Korean military spy satellite was also launched by SpaceX rocket from a base in California (USA).
Missile launched on December 4 by South Korea
The move comes after North Korea also launched a military spy satellite into orbit and officially began operations. The country on December 4 condemned the US for applying double standards in helping South Korea launch a satellite but criticized North Korea for similar actions.
"Forcibly applying the US's boastful standards in the field of space, the common treasure of mankind, should not be allowed," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, citing the National Aerospace Technology Administration.
North Korea's satellite launch led South Korea and then Pyongyang itself to invalidate a bilateral military agreement in 2018.
North Korean media published a commentary over the weekend saying that conflict and war on the Korean Peninsula were only a matter of time after the agreement was scrapped, warning that Seoul would face the risk of total collapse if it took hostile action.
In response, the South Korean Unification Ministry on December 4 condemned North Korea's groundless accusations regarding the 2018 agreement, stressing that Seoul's partial suspension of the agreement was a minimum defense measure.
In a related development, Seoul police on December 4 accused the Andariel hacker group, suspected of being linked to North Korea, of stealing digital data containing key technologies from South Korean defense companies, according to Yonhap.
Andariel is also believed to have pocketed 470 million won ($370,000) worth of digital currency through ransomware attacks on South Korean companies. Some of the money was transferred to North Korea, which did not immediately comment on the allegations.
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