ROK's first spy satellite enters orbit

SEOUL — The Republic of Korea confirmed on Saturday that its first military spy satellite had reached orbit after a successful SpaceX rocket launch and that communication was established with ground control.

The ROK's defense ministry said its reconnaissance satellite reached orbit soon after the SpaceX rocket lifted off from the Vandenberg US Space Force Base in California at 10:19 am on Friday.

"The satellite was launched 0319 Seoul time and was successfully separated from projectile 11 minutes later and put into targeted orbital trajectory," the ministry said. "We have confirmed its communications with the ground command."

Seoul plans to launch four additional spy satellites by the end of 2025 to bolster its reconnaissance capacity, Agence France-Presse reported.

Set to orbit between 400 and 600 kilometers above the Earth, the ROK's satellite is capable of detecting an object as small as 30 centimeters, according to Yonhap news agency.

Meanwhile, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's official Korean Central News Agency reported on Sunday that a special office started on Saturday to operate the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1, which was launched last month.

The office, located at the Pyongyang General Control Center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration, will perform its mission as an independent military intelligence agency, the KCNA said.

The Ministry of National Defense of the DPRK warned in a statement on Saturday that "any attack against the country's space assets will be deemed as declaration of war", the KCNA reported.

DPRK slams US move

In vindication of the move to launch the reconnaissance satellite, the KCNA criticized the repeated US deployment of its strategic nuclear assets as the "root cause" of escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula.

Last month the United States deployed its strategic nuclear assets, including the nuclear carrier USS Carl Vinson, to the ROK, followed by tripartite maritime exercises by the US, Japan and the ROK in open waters near Jeju Island of the ROK, the KCNA said.

On Sunday the state news agency issued another commentary condemning the move by the ROK to partially suspend an inter-Korean military agreement designed to defuse the danger of an armed conflict along the Military Demarcation Line as "reckless and imprudent".

The article noted that the situation proves once again the validity of the DPRK's continuing to bolster its nuclear war deterrence and the modernization of its armed forces.

Agencies - Xinhua