The US has encouraged North Korea to engage in "serious negotiations" following the deployment of a spy satellite into orbit by the North Korean dictatorship on November 21.
This comes as the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that North Korea launched a spy satellite dubbed Malligyong-1 into orbit on November 21 using its Chollima-1 carrier rocket.
In a subsequent article, KCNA stated that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un got photographs of key US military sites in Guam from a spy satellite. The photographs were shot at around 9:21 a.m. On November 22, local time.
Mr. Kim inspected aeronautical images of Anderson Air Force Base, Apra Harbor, and other US military outposts shot from the sky over Guam in the Pacific, according to KCNA.
Mr. Kim instructed North Korea's armed services to "operate more reconnaissance satellites" during the assessment in order to improve the efficacy of the country's "military strike means," according to the article.
According to KCNA, the spy satellite would begin its formal surveillance mission on December 1 after completing "a detailed piloting process," which might take up to seven to ten days.
President Joe Biden and his national security staff are monitoring the situation in close consultation with US friends and partners, according to National Security Council spokesman Adrienne Watson.
The US encouraged all countries to denounce North Korea's unlawful space launch and urged the North Korean leadership to return to "serious negotiations," according to Ms. Watson in a statement.
“The door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its provocative actions and instead choose engagement,” the spokesperson stated.
“The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and the defense of our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies,” she added.
North Korea said the launch highlighted its "legitimate right" to develop self-defense capabilities and increase "war preparedness" in response to "enemies' dangerous military moves."
Despite the fact that the United States and its allies have criticized North Korea's space launch as a breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions forbidding the nation from launching any ballistic missile technology, the regime has gone ahead with the launch.
Japan has strongly condemned the launch, calling it “an extremely problematic act.”
“This is a serious issue affecting the safety of the people. Japan has lodged a strong protest against North Korea and condemned it in the strongest terms,” Japan’s Defense Ministry said.
The missile fragmented into parts, one of which fell in the Pacific Ocean around 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) southwest of Japan's Okinotori Island, according to the ministry.
Another fragment of the projectile landed in the East China Sea, approximately 350 kilometers (217 miles) from the Korean Peninsula.
“Further details are currently being analyzed, but at this time, no satellites have been confirmed to enter orbit,” it stated.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s military said it assessed that North Korea’s satellite entered orbit but that more analysis and time are needed to determine whether it is functioning properly.
“After a comprehensive analysis of its flight path and other signs, the satellite is assessed to have entered into orbit,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters, Yonhap News Agency reported.
South Korea has partially halted an inter-Korean agreement signed in 2018 with North Korea, enabling it to resume operations along the demilitarized zone dividing the two nations.
“North Korea is clearly demonstrating that it has no will to abide by the Sept. 19 military agreement designed to reduce military tension on the Korean Peninsula and to build trust,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said.
Mr. Kim has stated that possessing a functional military surveillance satellite would be critical for North Korea to deal with the "most hostile rhetoric and explicit action" from the US and South Korea.
On May 31, North Korea attempted to launch a satellite, which crashed into the sea. The country subsequently attempted a second attempt on August 24, but failed due to a fault with the rocket booster's third stage.
