SEOUL, South Korea—Top North Korean officials promised Monday to push for a second attempt to launch a spy satellite, calling their country's first, failed, launch last month "the most serious" mistake of the year and harshly criticizing those responsible.
A North Korean rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite failed shortly after liftoff in late May, putting a halt to leader Kim Jong Un's quest to obtain a space-based monitoring system to better watch the United States and South Korea.
The failed launch and North Korea's ambitions to upgrade its nuclear arsenal were extensively reviewed during a three-day governing party conference that concluded on Sunday, with Kim and other top officials in attendance.
A long article on the meeting by the state-run Korean Central News Agency did not specify who spoke, but stated that a report to the conference "bitterly criticized the officials who irresponsibly conducted the preparations for [the] satellite launch."
The report outlined responsibilities for authorities and scientists to learn from the failed launch, determine what caused the rocket to fall, and conduct a successful launch in a short period of time, according to KCNA.
It did not specify when North Korea would attempt another missile. However, South Korea's intelligence service previously informed legislators that North Korea would most likely need "more than several weeks" to figure out what went wrong with the failed launch.
Monitoring groups in North Korea have reported no purges or dismissals of scientists or anyone engaged in the failed launch.
A surveillance satellite is one of many high-tech military weapons Kim has openly pledged to obtain in order to deal with what he refers to as US-led aggression. Kim also wants a multi-warhead missile, a nuclear submarine, a solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile, and a hypersonic missile.
North Korea has conducted over 100 missile tests since the beginning of 2022, some of which were tied to the development of a spy satellite and other formidable weapons on Kim's wish list.
During the meeting, Politburo members also discussed the "extremely deteriorating security situation" in the area caused by North Korea's adversaries' "reckless war moves," according to the report, presumably alluding to the extended US-South Korean military drills.
In response to North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal, the United States and South Korea have increased military drills, warning that any effort to deploy nuclear weapons will result in the demise of Kim's dictatorship.
The Politburo members assigned unspecified "important tasks" for developing solidarity with countries "opposed to the United States' brigandish strategy for world supremacy," according to KCNA.
North Korea has worked hard to improve relations with Russia, particularly by backing its military intervention in Ukraine. According to it, Russia is defending itself against the West's "hegemonic policy."
The North has also attempted to strengthen ties with China, its primary ally and economic lifeline, which is embroiled in a heated geopolitical competition with the US over trade, technology, and regional influence.
Russia and China, both permanent members of the United Nations with veto power. The Security Council has repeatedly thwarted efforts by the United States and others to toughen U.N. sanctions. Sanctions have been imposed on North Korea in response to its missile testing.
The party gathering also reviewed attempts to boost North Korea's faltering economy, which has been stressed further by pandemic-related border closures, according to analysts.
According to KCNA, there has been modest success in attempts to increase agricultural output and resuscitate production in the metal and chemical industries, albeit it acknowledged specific deficiencies. KCNA claimed development progress, citing a programme to build tens of thousands of new residences in Pyongyang.
It's nearly hard to verify the North's claims because it's one of the world's most secretive regimes. Despite the pandemic-caused challenges, experts claim there are no signs of societal upheaval or starvation in North Korea.
Kim did not speak at the Workers' Party Central Committee plenary meeting, according to KCNA.
According to South Korea's Unification Ministry spokeswoman Koo Byoungsam, it would be quite rare for Kim to sit through such a high-profile party gathering without making a public address. According to Koo, the apparent lack of a Kim address might be attributed to the satellite launch failure and North Korea's lack of economic successes.
