South Korean Lawmakers Suggest Russian Involvement in Failed North Korean Satellite Launch

  July 29, 2024    Buddieizreal

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 South Korean Lawmakers Suggest Russian Involvement in Failed North Korean Satellite Launch

North Korea appears to have received assistance from Russia for its failed attempt in May to launch a reconnaissance satellite, South Korean lawmakers said on Monday, citing the country's spy agency. North Korea claimed it used a new "liquid oxygen and petroleum engine" in the satellite, which exploded minutes after lift-off.

However, Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) informed lawmakers that there were no signs of North Korea having developed such an engine, suggesting it might have come from Russia.

"Given that liquid oxygen and kerosene were used in the engine for the first time, they had likely received Russian support," Lee Seong-kweun, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters after being briefed by the NIS. The agency also indicated that Moscow assisted with Pyongyang's successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite last November, two months after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's rare trip to Russia, during which President Vladimir Putin promised to help him build satellites.

Putin reciprocated with a visit to Pyongyang in June, where the two sides signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" pact. Russia and North Korea have denied arms transactions but have pledged to intensify military cooperation.

Lee also mentioned that Kim's daughter, Ju Ae, was being trained to become the next leader, citing the NIS. While North Korea's state media has reported on her public activities, they have not discussed her political future.

Park Sun-won, another member of the committee, stated that the NIS informed them that the recent indictment in the United States of Sue Mi Terry, a foreign policy expert who previously worked for the CIA and on the White House National Security Council, had no impact on intelligence cooperation between Washington and Seoul. Terry was indicted earlier this month on charges of working as an unregistered agent of South Korea's government in exchange for luxury goods and other gifts.

The indictment surprised many Seoul officials at a time when Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol have been ramping up security partnerships. "The NIS said they're working hard to learn a lesson from this," Park said. "But there are no major problems with intelligence cooperation between the two countries, and it is actually expanding."