The North Korean ambassador to the UN assured the Security Council on Monday that the launch of a spy satellite a few days ago was a “legitimate” act of self-defense against the United States. After two failures in May and August, a rocket took off from North Korea on Tuesday and placed the “Malligyong-1” military observation satellite into orbit, according to North Korean media. South Korea confirmed Thursday that the launch into orbit was successful.
The West, Japan and South Korea denounced this launch, as did UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, judging that the use of ballistic missile technologies violated UN Security Council resolutions. “No other nation in the world is in such a critical security situation” as North Korea, North Korean Ambassador Kim Song said on Monday, deploring that other countries are not subject to restrictions on satellites.
A response to military exercises between the United States and South Korea
“A belligerent country, the United States, is threatening us with nuclear weapons,” he added. “It is North Korea’s legitimate right, as another warring party, to develop, test, manufacture and possess weapons systems equivalent to those that the United States possesses or is developing,” he said. -he justified. Ironic about accusations that satellite technology helps Pyongyang perfect its missiles, he asked the Americans if they send their own satellites into orbit “with a catapult.”
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield rejected North Korean justifications, saying the “routine” joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea were “inherently defensive”. “We intentionally reduce risks and demonstrate transparency by announcing exercises in advance, with dates and activities, unlike North Korea,” she added, stressing that these exercises do not violate resolutions of the Security Council.
She also once again accused China and Russia, permanent members who have the right of veto, of preventing the Security Council from acting on the North Korean issue. Deputy Chinese Ambassador Geng Shuang accused Washington of “escalating tensions and confrontation” through its military alliance with Seoul. “If North Korea feels constantly threatened, and its legitimate security concerns remain, the peninsula will not be able to escape from this security dilemma and will be caught in a vicious cycle of aggressive retaliatory actions,” he said. he adds.