The sister of the North Korean leader assured Thursday that her country will soon succeed in putting a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit, the day after the failure of the launch of a satellite which was damaged at sea.
Pyongyang announced on Monday a plan to launch a spy satellite in June, intended in particular to monitor the growing US military presence in the region, citing in particular recent military maneuvers with Seoul.
The rocket crashed into the sea on Wednesday due to thrust loss and dove with its satellite payload, state media said.
Kim Yo Jong, the very powerful sister of Kim Jong Un, has claimed that Pyongyang will conduct a second trial as soon as possible.
“It is certain that the military reconnaissance satellite of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, editor’s note) will be successfully put into orbit in the near future and can begin its mission,” she said.
Pyongyang has released photos of what it says is the new Chollima-1 satellite-carrying rocket taking off from a launch site on the coastline.
The wide and round upper part of Chollima, the name given in reference to a winged horse belonging to mythology and very present in the country’s propaganda, seems to contain the satellite.
Seoul, Tokyo, Washington and Paris condemned Wednesday’s launch, saying it violates UN resolutions banning Pyongyang from testing using ballistic missile technology, much the same as that used to launch satellites.
For Kim Yo Jong, these criticisms are “contradictory”, given that Washington and other countries have already launched “thousands of satellites”.
“The United States are gangsters who claim that even if the DPRK launches a satellite into space orbit using a balloon, it is illegal and (poses) a threat,” she said in a statement. statement issued by KCNA, the state agency.
According to analysts, a spy satellite in orbit would notably allow North Korea to target American and South Korean forces more precisely.
“A satellite for military purposes can collect intelligence, make geolocation and attack enemy satellites. This is space warfare,” Chun In-bum, a general in the army, told AFP. retired South Korean army.
Since escalating tensions in 2019 with its neighbor, North Korea has accelerated its military development and declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power.
06/01/2023 08:43:37 – Seoul (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
