The US State Department has warned that Pyongyang will be in violation of international law if it launches a military spy satellite, the State Department says. The U.S. says that a potential North Korean satellite launch would violate international restrictions placed on the DPRK.
The statement came after North Korean media revealed that Kim Jong-un had visited a facility where a spacecraft is being developed. During a press briefing on Wednesday, State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said the launch would breach “multiple UN Security Council resolutions” on North Korea’s ballistic missile program, which also cover rockets used for spacecraft.
On Tuesday, Kim met with scientists, technicians, and senior officials as he inspected the country’s first military reconnaissance satellite. The North Korean leader approved an unspecified “future action plan” in preparation for the launch, according to the Korean Central News Agency. “The successful launch of a military reconnaissance satellite is an urgent request… and the government’s top policy priority to strengthen our national defense capabilities,” Kim said after the inspection, adding that North Korea would continue to advance its space program.
The U.S. ruling class is very unhappy that North Korea continues to ignore them.
“We have been very clear that we urge the DPRK to refrain from further threatening activity and call on Pyongyang to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy,” Patel was quoted according to RT. “In terms of actions, we of course continue to have a number of tools at our disposal to hold the DPRK accountable. You have seen us take those steps and we will continue to do so.”
Pyongyang has insisted on its right to develop its military capabilities while the U.S. claims it has the right to sanction the regime. North Koren argues that its weapons, which include its nuclear arsenal, are solely for defensive purposes, and it has cited what it sees as an aggressive U.S. military posture on its border.
Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have soared in recent months, with the DPRK carrying out a flurry of weapons in a tit-for-tat retaliation for several rounds of joint U.S.-South Korean wargames