North Korea vowed Monday to push for space development and reaffirmed its plan to launch multiple reconnaissance satellites this year after putting its first spy satellite into orbit in November.
The two Koreas are pitted against each other as their first reconnaissance satellites traverse Earth in low orbit, attempting to detect each other s military installations and weapons developments since they were launched.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un referred to his daughter as Morning Star General, just days after the North s reconnaissance satellite, Malligyong-1, successfully entered orbit on Nov. 21.
South Korea launches its first spy satellite into space, following North Korea's recent claim. The satellite, launched from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, is part of South Korea's plan to send five spy satellites into space by 2025. The launch allows South Korea to acquire an independent space-based surveillance system and bolster its preemptive missile strike capability. Meanwhile, North Korea's satellite launch has sparked condemnations and raised concerns about its high-resolution imagery capabilities. The United Nations Security Council has banned North Korea's satellite launches, viewing them as covers for testing long-range missile technology. North Korea has responded angrily, threatening to take action against U.S. spy satellites. It is believed that Russia's technological assistance enabled North Korea's satellite launch.
South Korea imposed unilateral sanctions Friday on 11 North Korean individuals involved in satellite and ballistic missile development, in response to the North s launch of a military spy satellite last week, Seoul s foreign ministry said.