▲ A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying South Korea's first indigenous spy satellite lifts off from U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 1, 2023 (local time), in this photo provided by SpaceX. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

N Korea-satellite launch

N. Korea raps Washington's 'double standard' over S. Korea's spy satellite launch

SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Monday denounced the United States for having a "double standard" over space programs, saying Washington helped South Korea with launching a military spy satellite, while condemning Pyongyang's similar move.

South Korea successfully launched its first indigenous military spy satellite atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from a U.S. military base in California on Friday, after North Korea put its spy satellite Malligyong-1 into orbit on Nov. 21.

An unnamed spokesperson at North Korea's National Aerospace Technology Administration said the U.S. has a "double standard" over South Korea's spy satellite, as it "brazenly" helped Seoul's launch, while condemning Pyongyang's exercise of its sovereign right.

"Coercing the brigandish standard of the U.S. even in the space realm, a treasure common to mankind, should never be permitted," the official said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

The spokesperson said North Korea will bolster the surveillance capabilities of its spy satellite "without wavering" in a bid to thoroughly monitor "military moves" by the U.S. and its followers, it added.

North Korea successfully launched its first spy satellite last month following two failed attempts earlier this year, and vowed to launch more in a short span of time.

South Korea and the U.S. condemned North Korea's launch as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that ban any test by North Korea using ballistic missile technology.

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