Pyongyang Launches "Spy Satellite" as Seoul Suspends Military Agreement

 

South Korea is set to suspend a provision in a military agreement signed with North Korea in 2018, following Pyongyang's defiance of warnings from the United States and its allies by launching a spy satellite, describing the launch as successful.

North Korea claimed it placed its first spy satellite into orbit on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, and pledged to launch more shortly. Media in North Korea showed images suggesting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observing a rocket launch into space.

Officials in Japan and South Korea, who were among the first to report the launch, couldn't immediately verify if the satellite was indeed in orbit. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated that the US military is still evaluating whether the launch was successful.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, currently on a state visit to Britain, agreed to suspend a clause in the Comprehensive Military Agreement between the Koreas. Yoon chaired a National Security Council meeting earlier, attended by some ministers and the national intelligence chief via video.

The agreement, known as the Comprehensive Military Agreement, aimed to de-escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, was concluded during a summit in 2018 between former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

At that time, both sides agreed to establish demilitarized zones where live-fire drills would be suspended, designate no-fly zones, remove some guard posts in the demilitarized zone separating the two countries, maintain hotlines, and implement other measures.

However, critics of the agreement called for its cancellation, arguing that it weakened Seoul's ability to monitor North Korea's actions along the border and that Pyongyang blatantly violated the agreement. South Korea's Ministry of Defense announced the suspension of a clause in the agreement and the resumption of air surveillance near the shared border.

North Korea's Central News Agency, citing the Space Technology Administration, reported that the Malgyong-1 satellite was launched aboard the Chollima-1 rocket from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station.

North Korea notified Japan that it plans to launch a satellite between today, Wednesday, and December 1, following two previous failed attempts to launch what they claimed were spy satellites earlier this year.

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he urged North Korea to fully comply with UN resolutions and called on Pyongyang to return to dialogue.

South Korea indicated that this launch likely involved technical assistance from Moscow as part of their growing partnership, which previously saw North Korea shipping millions of artillery shells to Russia. Both Russia and North Korea deny arms agreements but publicly commit to increased cooperation.

Additionally, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency stated that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected images of major US military bases on Guam sent by the country's first spy satellite in orbit.

China called for "calm and restraint" and stated that all relevant parties must "commit to calm and restraint (...) and adhere to the general direction of a political settlement and do more to help ease tensions."