North Korea's New Spy Satellite Draws US Backlash

The United States on Tuesday rebuked North Korea and warned it to cease provocative behavior after Pyongyang claimed to have successfully launched its first spy satellite.

The North's state-run Chongnyon Chongwi newspaper, citing the National Aerospace Technology Administration, said the country put satellite Malligyong-1 into orbit at 10:42 p.m on November 21. Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader, was reportedly at the launch site to witness the event.

The U.N. Security Council has banned the one-party state from sending up any satellites, seen as benefitting its ballistic missile program. Pyongyang has attempted six satellite launches since 1998. Two reached orbit but were believed to be non-functional.

Condemning the launch late on Tuesday, the White House called it a "brazen violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions" for its use of technology linked to the North's intercontinental ballistic missile program.

U.S. President Joe Biden and his advisers were assessing the situation with allies and partners, said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.

State media in Pyongyang described the launch as a defensive measure, stating that it was "a legitimate right of the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] for strengthening its self-defensive capabilities.

The reconnaissance satellite was expected to be used to spy on U.S. ally South Korea, but U.S. Defense Department spokesperson Sabrina Singh the Pentagon was "still assessing the success of the launch."

Singh urged other nations to denounce the action and reiterated the availability of diplomatic avenues, provided the North ceased its provocation.

U.S. allies in East Asia also criticized Pyongyang's latest move.

Seoul on Wednesday said it was partially suspending a prior agreement not to conduct aerial surveillance in the demilitarized zone lying between it and its northern neighbor, following through on an earlier warning.

This would increase the the military's ability to identify potential targets in the North, said Han Duck-soo, the South Korean prime minister

U.S. Forces Korea didn't immediately return a request for comment before publication.

In a statement issued on social media on Wednesday, Japan's Defense Ministry said the North's frequent ballistic missile launches were happening "in new ways at an unprecedentedly high frequency."

Tokyo, which has been plagued by multiple North Korean missile tests this year, would not confirm whether Pyongyang's new spy satellite made it into orbit as it had claimed.

Kim has ordered 214 missile tests since 2012 and a record 68 in 2022 alone, contributing to the nuclear-capable nation's international isolation.

Tuesday's satellite launch was Pyongyang's third attempt this year. According to Japanese media, parts of the rocket fell into the East China Sea and near Japan's southwestern Okinawa prefecture, prompting emergency alerts to local residents.

Adding to the geopolitical complexity, the South alleges that Russia has provided technological assistance to the North for its spy satellite. In September, President Vladimir Putin pledged to aid Pyongyang's satellite development in a meeting with Kim at Russia's top space launch facility.

In return, the North has reportedly supplied ammunition to Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine—both Pyongyang and Moscow deny the accusation.