North Korea says spy satellite launch successful
A rocket carrying the satellite blasted off Tuesday night from North Phyongan province and "accurately put the reconnaissance satellite 'Malligyong-1' on its orbit", state-run news agency KCNA reported.
Images in state media showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiling and waving, surrounded by white-uniformed scientists and engineers who cheered and clapped after watching the successful blastoff, AFP reports.
The United States led condemnation of the launch, saying it was a "brazen violation" of UN sanctions, while South Korea responded by partially suspending a 2018 military deal with the North, saying it would resume surveillance operations along their border.
Japan said that Pyongyang's claims of success could not immediately be independently verified.
Tokyo is still analysing the launch and "at this point is not confirming whether the satellite had entered into an orbit around the Earth", chief government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said.
North Korea's previous efforts to put a spy satellite into orbit in May and August both failed. Seoul, Tokyo and Washington had repeatedly warned Pyongyang not to proceed with another launch, which would violate successive rounds of UN resolutions.
Space launch rockets and ballistic missiles have significant technological overlap, experts say, and Pyongyang is barred by UN resolutions from any tests involving ballistic technology.
Seoul's spy agency this month said Pyongyang appeared to have received technical advice from Russia in return for sending at least 10 shipments of weapons for Moscow's war in Ukraine.
KCNA said it was North Korea's "legitimate right" to launch the satellite, as the country confronts what it calls threats from South Korea and the United States.
The North plans to launch more satellites "in a short span of time" to step up its surveillance capability on South Korea.
