SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Thursday it will continue to launch satellites into space despite South Korea's condemnation, which analysts said points toward Pyongyang testing a long-range rocket soon.
North Korean satellites will continue going up even as South Korea condemns Pyongyang's move, an unidentified spokesman at North Korea's bureau on space development was quoted as saying by the country's media.
"We will march toward the goal of conquering space by firing off more satellites in accordance with our five-year space development program," the spokesman said.
The report came amid growing speculation that North Korea is likely to launch a long-range rocket in the not-too-distant future after its last launch in February.
Pyongyang has claimed it has the right to develop its space program by putting satellites into orbit, but Seoul and Washington have viewed Pyongyang's move as a disguised test for its ballistic missile technology.
Tensions are running high on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang conducted its fifth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 9, eight months after it detonated its fourth nuke.
In March, the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) slapped tougher sanctions on the North for its nuclear and missile tests early this year. The UNSC is working on a fresh sanctions resolution for Pyongyang's September test.
Since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took office in late 2011, the North has launched more than 20 ballistic missiles this year alone.
North Korea is widely seen as seeking to develop a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can hit the U.S. mainland.
In September, the country conducted a ground test for a new high-powered rocket engine, sparking speculation that it is moving closer to the goal.
Experts said that Pyongyang is expected to launch a long-range rocket within this year, as its five-year space program ends at the end of 2016.
"If the North launches a satellite in the near term, the move would aim at developing the ICBMs," said Lee Choon-geun, a senior research fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute. "There is the need to see whether Pyongyang will use its latest-developed rocket engine."
Analysts said that the North's possible rocket launch may be timed with the UNSC's announcement of its new sanctions resolution or key North Korean anniversaries in December.
Analysts said that the North's possible rocket launch may be timed with the UNSC's announcement of its new sanctions resolution or key North Korean anniversaries in December.
Dec. 17 marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il, father of the current leader Kim Jong-un. The country's incumbent leader will also mark the fifth anniversary of him assuming the supreme commandership of the military on Dec. 30.
"North Korea may fire off a missile around the fifth anniversary of the former leader's death or conduct another nuclear test around Dec. 30," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute.
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