North Korea threatens to destroy U.S. spy satellites

North Korea warned Saturday it would "destroy" US spy satellites if Washington tries "any attack" on its space asset, after Pyongyang launched its first military eye in the sky last week.

A spokesperson for the North's defense ministry said it would consider such a move a "declaration of war," according to state-run Korean Central News Agency.

"The US Space Force's deplorable hostility toward the DPRK's reconnaissance satellite can never be overlooked as it is just a challenge to the sovereignty of the DPRK, and more exactly, a declaration war against it," read the official's English-language statement carried by the KCNA, Yonhap reported.

The statement was in reaction to a remark of Sheryll Klinkel, a spokesperson at the US Space Command.

US military could undermine the "effectiveness and lethality of adversary forces across all domains," Klinkel said.

Citing an article on the United Nations treaty on principles governing space activities, the spokesperson said that its Malligyong-1 spy ministry satellite, launched on 21 November, falls under the jurisdiction of the launcher state and that is part of its own territory, "not a space weapon," according to Yonhap.

If the US regards the spy satellite as a "military threat," all of the US spy satellites "flying above the Korean Peninsula every day" should be deemed the primary targets of destruction, Yonhap said, citing the spokesperson.

"In case the US tries to violate the legitimate territory of a sovereign state by weaponizing the latest technologies illegally and unjustly, the DPRK will consider taking responsive action measures for self-defense to undermine or destroy the viability of the US spy satellites by exercising its legitimate rights vested by international and domestic laws," the official added, according to Yonhap.

Experts have said putting a working reconnaissance satellite into orbit would improve North Korea's intelligence-gathering capabilities, particularly over South Korea, and provide crucial data in any military conflict.

Since last week's launch, the North has claimed its satellite has already provided images of major US and South Korean military sites.

It has not yet disclosed any of the satellite imagery it claims to possess.

The North's launch of Malligyong-1 was Pyongyang's third attempt at putting such a satellite in orbit, after two earlier failures.

Seoul has said the North received technical help from Moscow, in return for supplying weapons for use in Russia's war with Ukraine.

North Korea is barred by successive rounds of UN resolutions from tests using ballistic technology, and analysts say there is significant technological overlap between space launch capabilities and the development of ballistic missiles.

S. Korea spy satellite

South Korea's defense ministry, meanwhile, said Saturday its own spy satellite reached orbit soon after the "KOREA"-emblazoned SpaceX rocket lifted off from the Vandenberg US Space Force Base in California at 10:19 a.m. local time 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 in a statement.

"We have confirmed its communications with the ground command."

Reaching orbit means that South Korea now has its first domestically built spy satellite to monitor nuclear-armed North Korea.

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

"Considering resolution and its capacity for Earth observation… our satellite technology ranks in the top five globally," a defense ministry official said, as quoted by Yonhap.

"Until now, South Korea has relied heavily on US-run spy satellites" when it comes to monitoring the North, Choi Gi-il, professor of military studies at Sangji University, told AFP.

While the South has "succeeded in the launch of a military communications satellite, it has taken much longer for a reconnaissance satellite due to higher technological hurdles," he said.

Seoul plans to launch four additional spy satellites by the end of 2025 to bolster its reconnaissance capacity over the North.