North Korea’s Kim Jong Un reiterated his claim that the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite is legitimate, accusing the South Korean military of a “very dangerous provocation that cannot be ignored” in response to the launch announcement of North Korea’s second reconnaissance satellite.
According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 29th, Kim delivered a speech at the National Defense Science Institute on the 28th, the day after the failed launch of the second reconnaissance satellite. He stated that possessing a reconnaissance satellite is a “struggle to protect our sovereign rights” as well as an “essential and inevitable task for national sovereignty and legitimate defense.”
Kim argued, “Despite our assertion that a reconnaissance satellite is necessary for sovereignty protection and adhering to international regulations by notifying the satellite launch plan in advance as in the past, South Korea is hysterically threatening and challenging us with military demonstrations.” He emphasized, “South Korea has staged an attack formation and strike training and made fallacious arguments regarding the reconnaissance satellite launch, claiming that they are demonstrating their strong capabilities and will against the provocation.” He then criticized, “The reckless threat to our sovereign rights with war weapons is a very dangerous provocation that we cannot ignore, a clear violation of our sovereignty that cannot be forgiven.”
He emphasized, “We must ensure the exercise of our self-defense rights with absolute and overwhelming resolute action against the South Korean military gangsters who have responded recklessly to our proud and legitimate exercise of sovereign rights with mad military demonstrations.”
Kim added, “Mobilizing military retaliation to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity is the supreme mission of the Republic’s military approved by our Constitution and other laws. We must make our war will and capabilities overwhelmingly permanent so that hostile forces cannot dare to use force.”
The South Korean military conducted response training as North Korea announced the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite on the morning of the 27th.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that about 20 fighter jets, including the Air Force’s F-35A, F-15K, and KF-16, conducted an attack formation flight and strike training from 1 PM in the southern area of the No-Fly Line (NFL) in the forward central region.
In a speech to scientists, technicians, and researchers at the National Defense Science Institute, Kim publicly mentioned the failure of the second reconnaissance satellite launch, sending a message of encouragement to do better in the future rather than reprimanding the officials.
He even shared the cause of the failure, stating, “Yesterday (27th), the National Aerospace Development Administration of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea carried out another reconnaissance satellite launch as planned according to the national defense construction goals,” and “This launch failed due to the self-destruction system caused by the abnormality of the first-stage engine.” He added, “Although this reconnaissance satellite launch did not achieve the desired results, we will not be intimidated or discouraged by failure, but will strive even harder.”