By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
North Korea said Monday that it will closely watch if members of the six-party talks refer Korea's Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) to the UN Security Council.
It claimed that it had been unfairly punished for conducting its own launch four months ago. ``These countries condemned our satellite project and reinforced sanctions against us,'' a ministry spokesperson said.
``Their reaction and attitude toward South Korea's satellite launch will demonstrate if the principle of equality still exists,'' the Pyongyang official said.
The remarks indicate that North Korea is expecting the UN Council to recognize the ``unfairness'' of punitive measures imposed on it following the launch of a long-range rocket in April and a nuclear test in May.
``As a UN member, North Korea is mainly aiming to stress, through this statement, the problem of double standards by the U.N. Security Council,'' said Prof. Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
From North Korea's point of view, the rocket launches are both based on same objective ― to advance their space technology ― the scholar said.
``They are trying to point out that sanctioning one country for the mission and allowing another country to conduct the same mission would constitute a double standard,'' he added.
The professor projected that if UN Security Council does not react to Korea's space launch, the North is expected to reinforce its justification of its rocket launches.
The government drew a line between the satellite launches of the two Koreas.
``Korea's launch of a space rocket is a peaceful and transparent mission. Therefore, it is inappropriate to compare the two,'' Kim Bo-hyun, a spokesman of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said.
The rocket, developed at a cost of 502.5 billion won ($409 million) is expected to take off from the Naro Space Center, 485km south of Seoul, on Aug. 19.
North Korea launched a long-range rocket in April, which was widely perceived as a disguised test of missile technology.
It prompted the United States and other regional powers to turn to the U.N. Security Council, which then unanimously adopted a resolution of sanctions against Pyongyang.
In protest, North Korea withdrew from the six-party denuclearization talks, involving Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.
jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr
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