Officials in South Korea and Japan said they could not immediately confirm whether a satellite had been put into orbit. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh also said the US military was still assessing whether the launch was successful.
Unlike previous times, the launch of the rocket carrying the Malligyong-1 spy satellite took place near midnight on November 21, 2023. Photo: KCNA
North Korea's state news agency KCNA said the Malligyong-1 satellite was launched by a Chollima-1 rocket from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground at 10:42 p.m. local time Tuesday and entered orbit at 10:54 p.m. KCNA cited the Korea National Aerospace Technology Administration.
South Korea responded to North Korea's announcement by saying it would take steps to suspend parts of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement that would restore reconnaissance and surveillance activities in the area around the military demarcation line between the two countries.
US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson called the launch “an escalation of tensions and a risk of destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond.”
North Korea had previously informed Japan that it planned to launch a satellite between November 22 and December 1, following two failed launches earlier this year.
KCNA said Kim Jong Un personally observed the launch, which comes just over a week before South Korea plans to launch its first spy satellite into space on a Falcon 9 rocket operated by US company Space X.
Also according to KCNA, the North Korean space agency will send more spy satellites in the near future to continue ensuring the ability to monitor South Korea and other areas of interest to the North Korean armed forces.
“The launch of a reconnaissance satellite is the legitimate right of the DPRK to bolster its self-defense capabilities,” KCNA said, adding that the launch would bolster the country’s military readiness against “dangerous military moves” by the enemies.
A TV screen displays a warning called "J-alert" asking residents of Japan's Okinawa prefecture to stay indoors on November 21, 2023. Photo: Reuters
The South Korean military said the missile was carrying a reconnaissance satellite and was launched south of the Korean Peninsula. Meanwhile, the Japanese government asked residents in Okinawa to take cover inside buildings or underground. It later said the missile appeared to have flown over Okinawa toward the Pacific Ocean and lifted the emergency alert.
In brief remarks to reporters upon arriving at his office, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated that North Korea's missile launch was a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and a threat to the safety of Japanese citizens.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr. Kishida said Japan's defense systems, including Aegis destroyers and PAC-3 air defense missiles, were ready for any “contingency” that might arise.
However, Japan has no plans to destroy the missile, the Coast Guard said, citing the Japanese Defense Ministry. The South Korean military said it, along with Japan and the United States, had coordinated ahead of time Aegis destroyers to monitor the launch and share data.
Hoang Anh (according to KCNA, Reuters, Yonhap)
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