North Korea said on November 22 that it had launched its first spy satellite into orbit on November 21 and vowed to launch more satellites in the near future. Photos released by North Korean state media appeared to show leader Kim Jong-un watching the launch from a base.
Mr. Kim Jong-un at the satellite launch site on November 21
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo chaired a cabinet meeting on the morning of November 22, according to Yonhap. In a televised speech, he announced that Seoul would suspend part of a military agreement that the two Koreas signed in 2018, under former President Moon Jae-in.
South Korea's Defense Ministry later said it would resume aerial surveillance near the military demarcation line with North Korea.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is on a state visit to the UK. Earlier, he chaired a meeting of the National Security Council of South Korea with several ministers and intelligence chiefs via video conference.
The agreement, officially called the “Comprehensive Military Agreement,” was signed at a 2018 summit between Moon and Kim and is aimed at easing tensions on the Korean peninsula.
The two sides agreed to set up buffer zones where live-fire exercises are not held, as well as no-fly zones, remove some guard posts in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two countries and maintain a hotline, among other measures.
However, the deal has faced growing calls to scrap or suspend it in South Korea, as opponents say it limits Seoul's ability to monitor North Korea's actions around the military demarcation line.
North Korea's KCNA news agency said the Malligyong-1 satellite was launched by a Chollima-1 rocket from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground at 10:42 p.m. on November 21 and entered orbit at 10:54 p.m. (all local times). KCNA cited information from the North's National Aerospace Development Administration.
Malligyong-1 satellite before launch on November 21
KCNA also said that leader Kim personally oversaw the latest satellite launch, which came just over a week before South Korea launched its first spy satellite into space using a rocket operated by the US company Space X. North Korea had previously conducted two failed "spy satellite" launches.
US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the latest launch "flagrantly violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions" and said the move "increases tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond".
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned North Korea's satellite launch and called on Pyongyang to fully comply with UN resolutions and return to dialogue, according to Reuters.
The launch came after leader Kim Jong-un met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a state-of-the-art Moscow spaceport in September. South Korean officials believe Pyongyang likely received technical assistance from Moscow for its latest space effort, and in return, North Korea sent millions of artillery shells to Russia. Russia and North Korea have denied any arms deal but have publicly promised deeper cooperation.
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