North Korea will continue further development of its aerospace technologies, including a satellite program, despite the UN Security Council condemnation, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Tuesday.
“We will continue to exercise our sovereign right for the use of space, recognized by universally accepted by international laws, which are above UN Security Council resolutions,” the agency quoted the North Korean Foreign Ministry as saying in a statement.
The ministry said Security Council resolutions “violate the legitimate right of every country for satellite launches.”
“In accordance with the state space program, we will continue launches of various satellites, including geostationary, required for the country’s economic development,” the statement says.
Pyongyang also announced the withdrawal from the February 29 deal with the United States to impose a moratorium on nuclear activities and long-range missile tests in exchange for U.S. food aid.
After the failed April 13 launch on the Unha-3 rocket, which the North said would put a satellite into orbit, Washington suspended its food aid to North Korea. Pyongyang ignored calls to cancel the launch, which the United States claimed was cover for a ballistic missile test banned under UN resolutions.
The launch was condemned by the global community, including the UN Secuirty Council, which said in a presidential statement that it “deplores that such a launch has caused grave security concerns in the region.”
Ambassador Susan Rice of the United States, which holds the Council’s presidency in April, told journalists the statement also provides for new sanctions.
