By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – North Korea’s attempted satellite launch on Thursday violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, the U.S. State Department said, adding Washington sought dialogue with Pyongyang “without preconditions.”
The United States urged North Korea to refrain from “further threatening activity” and called on Pyongyang to engage in serious diplomacy, a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
North Korea’s second attempt to place a spy satellite in orbit failed on Thursday after the rocket booster experienced a problem during its third stage, state media reported, as space authorities vowed to try again in October.
Its first try in May also ended in failure when the new Chollima-1 rocket crashed into the sea.
The nuclear-armed country has been seeking to place what would be its first military spy satellite into orbit, saying it eventually plans a fleet of satellites to monitor moves by U.S. and South Korean troops.
The United States and other countries appear to be as concerned about the satellite launches as they are about the nuclear-armed country’s weapons tests.
“Space launch vehicles (SLVs) incorporate technologies that are identical to, and interchangeable with, those used in ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs),” the State Department spokesperson said.
“Any DPRK (North Korea) launch that uses ballistic missile technology, which would include SLVs used to launch a satellite into space, violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.”
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler and Lisa Shumaker)
