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DPA
Seoul
South Korea said on Tuesday it would be able to realise plans to build its own surveillance satellites more quickly after the United States approved a change to its missile guidelines.
The US agreed to lift previous restrictions on the use of solid propellant for rocket launchers, said Kim Hyun-chong, deputy director of South Korea’s National Security Office. Under existing treaties, the US must sign off on such changes.
Solid rocket fuel is easier to handle and reduces preparation time for launch as rockets can be fuelled ahead of time.
South Korea’s agreement with the US relates to solid fuels for multi-stage rockets used to transport payloads into orbit.
The method could in future be used to bring reconnaissance satellites into a near-Earth orbit at an altitude of between 500 to 2,000 kilometres, said Kim.
Once in orbit, the satellites would allow the allies to monitor the entire Korean Peninsula around the clock.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reiterated that he sees his country’s nuclear arsenal as a guarantee of its security.
“Thanks to our reliable and effective self-defence nuclear deterrence, the word war would no longer exist on this land,” Kim told a veterans’ conference on Monday to mark the 67th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
“The security and future of our state will be guaranteed forever,” he added, according to state news agency KCNA.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula ratcheted up in June following a row over a leafleting campaign by South Korean activists with messages urging North Koreans to overthrow the communist leadership.
Seoul
South Korea said on Tuesday it would be able to realise plans to build its own surveillance satellites more quickly after the United States approved a change to its missile guidelines.
The US agreed to lift previous restrictions on the use of solid propellant for rocket launchers, said Kim Hyun-chong, deputy director of South Korea’s National Security Office. Under existing treaties, the US must sign off on such changes.
Solid rocket fuel is easier to handle and reduces preparation time for launch as rockets can be fuelled ahead of time.
South Korea’s agreement with the US relates to solid fuels for multi-stage rockets used to transport payloads into orbit.
The method could in future be used to bring reconnaissance satellites into a near-Earth orbit at an altitude of between 500 to 2,000 kilometres, said Kim.
Once in orbit, the satellites would allow the allies to monitor the entire Korean Peninsula around the clock.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reiterated that he sees his country’s nuclear arsenal as a guarantee of its security.
“Thanks to our reliable and effective self-defence nuclear deterrence, the word war would no longer exist on this land,” Kim told a veterans’ conference on Monday to mark the 67th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
“The security and future of our state will be guaranteed forever,” he added, according to state news agency KCNA.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula ratcheted up in June following a row over a leafleting campaign by South Korean activists with messages urging North Koreans to overthrow the communist leadership.
