Kim Yo Jong, deputy department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and spokesmen for the DPRK ministries of National Defence and Foreign Affairs released statements in succession to criticize the illegal provocative acts by the US and its vassal forces to viciously trample on the exercise of sovereign rights, security and interests of the DPRK related to the launch and operation of its reconnaissance satellite.

Statement by Kim Yo Jong, deputy department director of the Central Committee of the WPK

I deplore the fact that the UNSC, at which the purpose and principle of the UN Charter have to be strictly respected, is being turned into a land of lawlessness where the sovereignty of independent states is wantonly violated, extreme double standards are imprudently applied and injustice and high-handed practices are rampant due to the US and some forces following it, and strongly denounce and reject it.

The whole course of the open meeting of the UNSC over the DPRK's reconnaissance satellite launch, convened on the gangster-like demand of the US and its followers, clearly proves how weak, false and absurd are the unreasonable arguments of some UN member states denying the DPRK's sovereign rights.

I took heed to the trivial explanation of Thomas Greenfield, US representative to the United Nations, who described the US as a "victim" of the present situation while illustrating their stand for "meaningful dialogue" and efforts for "peaceful solution", out of the lack of justifiable ground for branding the irrefragable DPRK's right to space development as "illegal".

However, he should, first, have had to clarify from where and why the strategic targets have frequently appeared at south Korea's ports only 500 to 600 km away from Pyongyang, before vouching that the US weapons did not target the DPRK.

The Pentagon should also have helped its representative to the UN to make a more logical excuse for how the US stand for "diplomatic engagement" and its efforts to "resume dialogue" blend with the provocative military activities of the US nuclear carrier and nuclear submarine deployed in the Korean peninsula.

The double-faced stand and behaviour of the US whose deeds are quite different from its words are a vicious factor disturbing peace and stability in the region of the Korean peninsula along with double standards, the height of high-handed and arbitrary practices.

It is the consistent stand of the DPRK against the US that the former should be ready for both dialogue and confrontation and, in particular, more thoroughly ready for confrontation if the "peace by power" favoured by the latter is to rely on muscle-flexing behind the rhetoric about dialogue.

We make it clear once again to the US which asked the DPRK to fix the time and agenda for resuming the DPRK-US dialogue.

The sovereignty of an independent state can never be an agenda item for negotiations, and therefore, the DPRK will never sit face to face with the US for that purpose.

The main threat to international peace and security does not come from the exercise of the DPRK's sovereign right, but from the US high-handed and arbitrary practices to disturb and oppress it.

The DPRK will continue to make efforts to develop everything belonging to its sovereign rights and continue to exercise the sovereign rights, enjoyed by all the member states of the UN, in a dignified manner without being restricted in the future, too.

November 29, 2023, Pyongyang

Any attack on space asset of the DPRK will be deemed declaration of war against it

-Press statement by spokesman for DPRK Ministry of National Defence-

The brigandish nature of the US, which regards it as its main lever for realizing its hegemonic wild ambition to commit outrageous and unlawful military intervention against sovereign countries, has been brought to light more clearly, occasioned by the DPRK's reconnaissance satellite launch.

An official concerned of the US Space Command recently spouted rubbish hinting at a military attack on the DPRK's reconnaissance satellite, saying that the US can decrease the enemy country's outer space operation capabilities by employing diverse "reversible and irreversible methods".

In this respect, American military affairs experts comment that the US Space Force can physically destroy not only opponent's satellite and satellite earth station but also get rid of enemy state's space force through jamming and virus-using cyber attack.

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 of war against it.

Article 8 of the "Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies", the main international outer space treaty, stipulates that any object launched into outer space definitely falls under the jurisdiction of its launcher state and the ownership of it never changes no matter it remains in outer space or returned to the earth.

This means that the reconnaissance satellite "Malligyong-1" is part of the territory of the DPRK where its sovereignty is exercised.

Furthermore, reconnaissance satellite is not regarded as a space weapon by international law for its technical features aimed at observation.

If the reconnaissance satellite of the DPRK is regarded by the US as a "military threat" that must be gotten rid of, countless spy satellites of the US flying above the Korean peninsula region every day, exclusively tasked with monitoring the major strategic spots of the DPRK, should be deemed the primary targets to be destroyed by the armed forces of the DPRK.

By openly unveiling its aggression scheme to mount a military attack on a space asset of other sovereign country, part of its property and territory, the US has proved itself its true colours as the chief culprit of evils seeking to realize its wild ambition for dominating the world by turning outer space, common wealth of humankind, into a theatre of war.

It is the mission of the armed forces of the DPRK, specified by its constitution and other laws, to exercise their war deterrent to protect the state sovereignty and territorial integrity in case a lethal military attack is carried out against the country's strategic assets or it is judged that such attack is imminent.

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-defence to undermine or destroy the viability of the US spy satellites by exercising its legitimate rights vested by international and domestic laws.

December 2, 2023, Pyongyang

It is the sovereign right of the DPRK to firmly defend sovereignty, security and interests of the state from hostile forces' encroachment

-Press statement by spokesman for DPRK Foreign Ministry-

As already clarified, the DPRK's satellite launch is an essential process in building up the country's defence capability and an important step conducive to improving the security environment on the Korean peninsula as an occasion of bringing a new phase in the military activities of the armed forces of the DPRK to firmly defend its security.

However, the US has perpetrated acts of encroaching upon sovereignty and hostile acts of applying sanctions against the DPRK by rallying its followers such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and Australia, while unreasonably picking a quarrel with the DPRK over its exercise of just and legitimate sovereignty.

Explicitly speaking, the object of sanctions is not the DPRK which has exercised its deserved sovereign right, but the US and its servants keen to deprive sovereign states of their legitimate rights, wantonly violating regulations of the international law including the UN Charter.

The unilateral and illegal sanctions of the US seriously violating the UN Charter with sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and respect for the right to self-determination as its core and other principles of international law are the main factors undermining the international order based on equity and multilateralism.

The illegal sanctions racket of the US and its followers is nothing but a "sedative" to calm down the growing uneasiness and impatience over the ever-declining US-led hegemonic order, and cannot have any practical effect on the DPRK's exercise of sovereign right at present and in the future.

In the present world where the US is precisely being regarded as injustice and evil, the accusations and sanctions by the US only show a proof of the justness of the line chosen by the DPRK and an expression of the strong force of our state.

The US should respect the sovereign decision of the DPRK to freely exercise the right to space exploration any UN member nations can enjoy, neither interfere in nor obstruct it, and only doing so is a correct choice capable of removing even a part of the present external crisis facing the US.

In order to defend the sovereignty and interests of the state from the hostile forces' illegal encroachment on its sovereignty, ensure peace and security and protect the right and interests of its citizens, the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK declares that it will apply countermeasures to individuals, institutions and organizations of the US and its vassal forces involved in the drawing and execution of the sanctions policy against the DPRK, according to the Law of the DPRK on Countermeasures in coordination with its relevant institutions.

No matter what others may say, the DPRK will proudly and perfectly exercise its sovereign rights including satellite launch and make every possible effort to defend its sovereignty, security and interests and ensure peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and the region from all threats and obstructions from outside.

December 2, 2023, Pyongyang