U.S. State Department: North Korea ballistic missile launch would be a violation

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said if North Korea uses ballistic missile technology to launch a satellite, Pyongyang would be in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Kirby made the statement at a press briefing that covered North Korea, the same day Pyongyang declared it has a "sovereign right" to launch satellites, Yonhap reported. Analysts have said the statement could be an indication Pyongyang has plans to launch a rocket in October to commemorate a major anniversary.

"There are multiple UN Security Council resolutions that require North Korea to suspend all activities related to their ballistic missile program and re-establish a moratorium on missile launches," Kirby said on Monday. "So any satellite launch using ballistic missile technology would be a clear violation of those resolutions."

North Korea had said in its statement on late Monday local time that, "The world will clearly see a series of satellites of [North] Korea soaring into the sky at the times and locations determined by the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea."

Pyongyang said its space development program is for peaceful purposes, and that it was exercising its "legitimate right" as a sovereign state, but some analysts have said the program is a cover for missile tests. Recent satellite imagery has shown a 220-foot high gantry had been built for use in a future launch.

North Korea also may be planning attacks of a different kind that don't involve weapons but could freeze servers through data breaches.

South Korean television network KBS reported on Monday Victor Cha, the Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was very interested in cyberattacks and it may be likely a North Korean breach of banks, media organizations and even the power grid is foreseeable in the future. Scott LaFoy, a researcher at CSIS, said contingency plans are necessary in the case of any attacks.