Global Courant
Seoul, South Korea — Top North Korean officials have vowed to push for a second attempt at launching a spy satellite as they last month called their country’s first and failed launch “the most serious” failing this year and fiercely criticized those responsible, it reported. the state media Monday.
In late May, a North Korean missile carrying a military reconnaissance satellite crashed shortly after launch, setting back leader Kim Jong Un’s attempt to acquire a space-based surveillance system to better monitor the United States and South Korea. to be able to follow.
The failed launch and North Korean efforts to modernize its arsenals were heavily discussed at a three-day ruling party meeting that ended Sunday, in the presence of Kim and other top officials.
A lengthy broadcast from Korea’s Central News Agency about the meeting did not clearly state who was speaking, but said a report to the meeting “bitterly criticized the officials who had irresponsibly conducted preparations for (the) satellite launch.”
The report lists tasks for officials and scientists to learn the lesson of the launch failure, find the cause of the rocket’s crash and make a successful launch in a short time, according to KCNA.
It didn’t say exactly when North Korea would attempt a second launch. But South Korea’s spy agency previously told lawmakers it would likely take “more than several weeks” for North Korea to determine what went wrong in the failed launch.
North Korean monitoring groups have not reported any purges or firings of scientists or others involved in the failed launch. Observers say Kim has treated scientists and engineers working in the country’s weapons development program well, though he orchestrated a slew of high-profile executions or purges of top officials to deepen his grip on power early in his rule.
A spy satellite is one of the high-tech military assets Kim has publicly promised to acquire to deal with what he calls US-led hostility. Other weapon systems Kim wants to own are a multi-warhead missile, a nuclear submarine, a solid propellant intercontinental ballistic missile and a hypersonic missile.
Since early 2022, North Korea has conducted more than 100 missile tests, some of which related to the development of a spy satellite and other powerful weapons on Kim’s wish list.
In April, North Korea tested its first solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. The fuel in such rockets is already loaded inside, so they are more mobile than liquid propellant rockets and are harder for outsiders to detect before launch.
At the party rally, members of the Politburo claimed they had made “great strides” in efforts to expand North Korea’s arsenal of nuclear weapons and missiles.
Politburo members also analyzed the “extremely deteriorating security situation” in the region caused by the “reckless acts of war” by its rivals, apparently referring to the extensive military exercises between the US and South Korea, the report said. It said they unanimously approved unspecified counteraction plans.
The United States and South Korea have expanded their military exercises in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear arsenal and warn that any attempt to use nuclear weapons will lead to the end of Kim Jong-un’s government.
North Korea’s Politburo members have set unspecified “important tasks” for defending national interests and strengthening solidarity with countries that “oppose the US brigandish strategy for world domination,” KCNA said.
North Korea has been pushing to strengthen relations with Russia over the war in Ukraine. It blames the United States for the crisis and accuses the West of pursuing a “hegemonic policy”, saying Russia was justified in using military action in Ukraine to protect itself.
North Korea has also sought to strengthen ties with China, its main ally and economic lifeline which is engaged in an intensified strategic rivalry with the United States over trade, technology and regional influence.
Russia and China, both permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto powers, have repeatedly blocked efforts by the US and others to strengthen UN sanctions against North Korea over its missile tests.
The party meeting also discussed national efforts to improve North Korea’s struggling economy, which experts say is under further strain from pandemic border closures.
KCNA said some progress has been made in efforts to improve agricultural production and revive production in the metals and chemical industries, though it acknowledged unspecified shortcomings. KCNA claimed construction progress, citing a project to build tens of thousands of new homes in the capital Pyongyang.
It is virtually impossible to verify the claims made by the North, one of the most secretive countries in the world. Experts say there are no signs of social unrest or famine in North Korea despite the hardships caused by the pandemic and that Kim’s absolute control over his 26 million people remains unchanged.
