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North Korea Hypocritical Criticizes South Korean Launch

In yet another sign of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, dictatorial North Korea on Tuesday slammed democratic South Korea for launching a scientific satellite which, Pyongyang says, could also be used to spy on the reclusive country`s military movements. Pyongyang says the launch was a provocative act that would force them to build up on their "invincible war deterrent". There was no apparent reference to North Korea`s own provocative act of test launching at the beginning of July several missiles despite warnings from the United States, Japan and China not to do so.

South Korea launched the Arirang-2 satellite from a base in Russia last Friday with the ostensible purpose being to make geographical surveys from hundreds of miles above the Earth, but Pyongyang claims that the accuracy and quality of the images that can be provided also give Seoul the capability to track military movements inside Stalinist North Korea. Both Koreas are still technically at war with each other, though efforts at rapprochement in recent years have been made by the South.

A spokesman for North Korea`s "Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland" was quoted by the North`s official news agency as saying, "We sound an alarm-bell to South Korea for straining the situation on the Korean peninsula. The prevailing situation compels the North to step up its moves to bolster the invincible war deterrent for self-defense in every way under the banner of Songun." Songun refers to Pyongyang`s "military-first" policy.