North Korea Accuses U.S. of Double Standards Over South Korea's Spy Satellite Launch

 

On December 4, North Korea accused the United States of employing double standards, criticizing it for allowing South Korea to launch a spy satellite from U.S. soil while condemning North Korea's earlier satellite launch. Last Friday, South Korea successfully launched its first domestically built spy satellite from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base, following North Korea's own military spy satellite launch on November 21.

The distinction in responses is noteworthy: while South Korea's satellite launch garnered no immediate rebukes, North Korea faced strong condemnation from Washington, Seoul, and their allies due to its violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The international body considers any North Korean launch using ballistic technology as a guise for testing missile capabilities. North Korea asserts its right to launch satellites and test missiles in response to perceived U.S.-led military threats.

In a statement, an unidentified spokesperson for North Korea's National Aerospace Technology Administration called the U.S. behavior a "space-level tragicomedy," accusing it of employing double standards by launching South Korea's spy satellite while denouncing North Korea's actions.

The statement warned that tolerating the U.S.'s "gangster-like logic" could expose global peace and stability to "irrevocable grave danger."

North Korea claims that its spy satellite has transmitted imagery featuring space views of key sites in the U.S. and South Korea, including the White House and the Pentagon. However, it has not yet released any of these satellite photos, raising skepticism among outside experts about its ability to provide militarily useful high-resolution imagery.

South Korea, aiming to bolster its space capabilities, plans to launch four more spy satellites by 2025 in collaboration with SpaceX. This move is seen as an effort to reduce dependence on U.S. spy satellites and establish a more cost-effective space-based surveillance network.

In a separate development, South Korea conducted a successful third test flight for a solid-fuel rocket near its southern Jeju island, placing a civilian commercial satellite into orbit. Solid-fuel rockets offer shorter launch times and lower development costs than liquid-fuel rockets, potentially contributing to the improvement of South Korea's missile technology.

Following North Korea's satellite launch, South Korea announced the resumption of frontline aerial surveillance. In response, North Korea restored border guard posts, breaching their earlier agreement to ease military tensions along their border. South Korea suspects North Korea received technical assistance from Russia for its satellite launch program, reflecting an expanding cooperation between the two nations amid separate confrontations with the United States.