North Korea Defends Military Satellite Launch Amid U.N. Criticism

A North Korean official rebuffed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' remarks on its recent satellite launch failure. Despite the setback, North Korea vows to maintain its space reconnaissance efforts, affirming its commitment to developing military space capabilities.

A North Korean foreign ministry official condemned U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' comments over its latest military reconnaissance satellite launch, state KCNA media reported on Thursday.

Earlier this week, North Korea said its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure, when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight.

The ministry official said North Korea would never give up owning space reconnaissance capabilities, according to KCNA.