Global Courant 2023-06-01 04:02:00
SEOUL — North Korean Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, has said her country’s military spy satellite will soon enter orbit and promised Pyongyang will increase military oversight, state media reported KCNA Thursday.
“We are ready to make every effort to defend her sovereign rights and interests,” Ms. Kim, a powerful government official in her own right, said in a statement from KCNA.
Her comments come after the satellite’s launch in Pyongyang ended in failure on Wednesday.
The launch appears to have been rushed and may take at least several weeks to resolve the missile issue, a South Korean lawmaker said Wednesday, citing South Korean intelligence.
In a rare admission of failure by North Korea, KCNA reported that a missile carrying a military reconnaissance satellite known as “Malligyong-1” crashed into the sea after an accident.
KCNA also released footage on Thursday of what it believes was the new Chollima-1 rocket taking off with flames and smoke from a launch pad on the coast. The white-and-gray missile had a bulbous nose, apparently to carry its satellite payload.
The launch was widely criticized, including by South Korea, Japan and the United States.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said any launch by Pyongyang using ballistic missile technology violates Security Council resolutions, a spokesman said.
In her statement, Ms Kim said criticism of Wednesday’s test was “self-contradictory” as the US and other countries have already launched “thousands of satellites”.
In a separate statement from KCNA, North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong criticized US-led military exercises in the region, including a multinational anti-proliferation naval exercise.
Commercial satellite images from one of the launch pads at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station showed more than a dozen vehicles, the US-based 38 North, a program that analyzes North Korea, said a report.
“Which pad was used for the launch cannot yet be confirmed,” the report said.
“However, activity on the main launch pad is consistent with post-launch assessment and cleanup efforts.” REUTERS
