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Opponents of Pyongyang’s launch of the spy satellite last week included Western countries.
In an uncommon appearance in the UN Security Council, North Korea’s envoy defended his nation’s spy satellite launch, claiming that leader Kim Jong Un had seen satellite photos of the Pentagon and White House. Pyongyang’s official media reported as much.
North Korea launched the satellite last week, in violation of Security Council resolutions, according to South Korea, Japan, and other Western nations.
Kim Song, the ambassador of North Korea to the UN, voiced concerns in the Security Council on Monday, claiming that other nations were not subject to any satellite limitations.
Using the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as the North is officially known, Kim remarked, “No other country in the world is in the security environment as critical as the DPRK.”
He declared, “The United States is one belligerent party that is threatening us with a nuclear weapon.”
“As another belligerent party, the DPRK has a legitimate right to develop, test, manufacture, and possess weapons systems that are equivalent to or being developed by the United States.”
The nation claims that photographs of important military locations in the US and South Korea, as well as pictures of Rome, the Italian capital, have already been obtained by its new eye in the sky.
North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said that Kim got “in detail” photos of the Pentagon and the White House on Monday, which he subsequently examined.
According to the outlet, the North Korean leader also tallied the number of aircraft carriers at a Virginia shipyard and military installation.
US reaction
North Korea claims it is acting in self-defense, while US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called joint US-South Korean drills “routine” and “defensive in nature.”
She added, “Unlike the DPRK, we intentionally reduce risk and pursue transparency by announcing the exercises in advance including the dates and the activities.” The exercises did not contravene Security Council resolutions, she claimed.
North Korea received satellite support from Russia, which was willing to help in Ukraine, according to South Korea’s intelligence service, after President Vladimir Putin and Kim met.
Last month, the United States announced that North Korea had sent over a thousand containers filled with weapons and military hardware to Russia.
The US is opposed to a resolution that Russia and China, North Korea’s principal allies, have proposed to lift sanctions on Pyongyang in an attempt to promote communication.
Through its military partnership with South Korea, the US is allegedly “further aggravating tension and confrontation,” according to Chinese official Geng Shuang.
“The peninsula will not be able to escape the security predicament and will only be caught in a vicious cycle of tit-for-tat aggressive moves if the DPRK feels constantly threatened and its legitimate security concerns remain unresolved,” he stated.
source:-aljazeera
