In May, North Korea failed its first military reconnaissance satellite launch of the year and strongly criticized the U.S.’s space activities. This appears to be an attempt to build justification and assert legitimacy for their future satellite launches.
The Workers’ Party media, Rodong Sinmun, emphasized on June 9, “The U.S. is becoming more frenzied in its space militarization efforts,” and “The U.S. is trying to turn space into a battlefield after creating a slaughterhouse of invasion on Earth. It is only natural that the international community is condemning them.” The media criticized the Global Sentinel, an international space situation response joint exercise held at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the U.S. in February, stating, “They conducted a training that simulated a space war.”
The media also claimed, “In April, the U.S. announced a military exercise outlook under the pretext of verifying the ability to respond to so-called attacks in orbit, and is working on increasing the ability to respond in cases where ‘enemy satellites’ approach their space vehicles or satellites and launch unexpected attacks.” The media added, “This is a pretext, and the U.S. is trying to create a collision risk by approaching space objects that belong to other countries.”
It also pointed out that the U.S. is strengthening its space military alliance system and promoting cooperation in the military and civilian sectors. The media criticized, “They are massively using satellites, which are labeled as commercial, for reconnaissance activities,” and “The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office is vigorously pushing for a plan to build a new reconnaissance satellite network through a secret contract with a certain company.”
It also mentioned that the UN Security Council vetoed a resolution to ban Russia’s proposed space arms race in May due to opposition from the U.S. and Western countries.
The media suggested that it closely watches the U.S.’s space activities by detailing its moves in an article published on June 10.
The media continued, “The U.S. is shamelessly promoting the theory of space peace while launching a malicious propaganda campaign to deceive other countries. “It is an audacious act comparable to that of a thief that the U.S., who has created a serious risk to space safety and the strategic stability of the world, is blaming other countries.
North Korea’s claim seems to be aimed at finding justification for the satellite launches it plans to carry out. Although it has declared that it will launch three satellites this year, none have succeeded.
North Korea attempted its first military reconnaissance satellite launch of the year on May 28, but it failed due to the abnormal operation of the first-stage engine. On the third attempt in November 2023, North Korea succeeded in launching its first military reconnaissance satellite, Malligyong-1.
The UN Security Council views North Korea’s satellite launch as a violation of the Security Council resolution as it utilizes ballistic missile technology.
Kim Jong Un visited the National Defense Science Institute immediately after the satellite launch failure in May and emphasized the legitimacy by saying, “Possessing a military reconnaissance satellite is a crucial task in the current situation. Our country is strengthening self-defensive deterrence, protecting national sovereignty, and providing safety from potential threats due to serious changes in the national security environment caused by the U.S.’s military movements and various provocative actions.”