Rocket carrying North Korean military reconnaissance satellite soars into the sky: On November 22, the Korean Central News Agency announced that North Korea successfully launched Chollima-1, a new satellite-carrying rocket, loaded with Malligyong-1, a military reconnaissance satellite from the Seohae (Yellow Sea) Satellite Launching Station in Tongchang-ri, Cholsan-gun, North Pyongan Province on the night of November 21. Korean Central News Agency

On November 22, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced it successfully launched the military reconnaissance satellite, Malligyong-1, and that it would officially begin its spy operations on December 1. The South Korean government immediately responded by scrapping the no-fly zone designated in Clause 3, Article 1 of the September 19 Military Agreement with North Korea and warned that it would engage in aggressive aerial monitoring and reconnaissance activities.

Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency reported that the National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) successfully launched the new rocket, Chollima-1 carrying the spy satellite, Malligyong-1, from the Seohae (Yellow Sea) Satellite Launching Station in Cholsan-gun, North Pyongan Province at 10:42 p.m. Tuesday. The DPRK officially announced its success on its third try after acknowledging failed launches in May and August. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un boasted about the nation’s nuclear capability and said, “The military power of the Republic has secured eyes that can see far and a strong punch that can strike far.”

The Joint Chiefs of Staff released a notice on Wednesday afternoon announcing, “The so-called military reconnaissance satellite launched by the DPRK is believed to have entered orbit,” and, “Additional analyses are necessary to determine whether it is operating properly.”

The South Korean government began scrapping some articles of the September 19 Military Agreement four hours after the launch of North Korea’s spy satellite. President Yoon Suk-yeol, currently on a state visit to the United Kingdom, presided over an emergency standing committee meeting of the National Security Council in London on November 21 (local time) and decided and approved such measures.

This was the first time that South Korea first dismissed an inter-Korean agreement. After signing the September 19 Military Agreement in 2018, the DPRK violated the agreement several times, but never said it would abandon the agreement. Thus the South Korean government may come under fire for hastily suspending the military agreement, which helped prevent military threats and clashes in border regions.

The situation in the Korean Peninsula, which is escalating toward a hardline versus hardline confrontation, is expected to cool even further. The government warned of aggressive operations in the forefront after scrapping some of the military agreement and is reviewing additional measures such as separate sanctions and discussions in the UN Security Council. Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik visited the USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier which entered the Busan military port Wednesday and called for thorough preparedness requesting plans for joint maritime exercises by the ROK and the U.S. and by the ROK, U.S. and Japan. Chairman Kim mentioned USS Carl Vinson’s docking in Busan and said, “The U.S. is turning South Korea into an outpost for military forces of aggression.” The North Korean leader also said he would launch more and diverse reconnaissance satellites, and the South Korean government is also considering scrapping additional articles of the September 19 Military Agreement depending on future movements by the North.