S. Korea voices regret over N. Korea's threat to forgo prior notice for future satellite launch

SEOUL, June 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Monday expressed regret over the North's threat to forgo prior notice to an international maritime safety agency when launching its purported military spy satellite in the future.

Following a botched attempt to launch what the North claims to be a satellite-carrying rocket last week, the country condemned the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Sunday for adopting a resolution denouncing its rocket launch and hinted that it may not notify the organization for future launches.

"North Korea's attitude, which is drifting further and further away from international norms and common sense, is very disappointing," Koo Byoung-sam, Seoul's unification ministry spokesperson, told a regular press briefing.

Stressing such an attitude only further isolates the recalcitrant regime from the international community, Koo called for the North to choose the "right" path for its future.

Prior to last week's launch, the North had notified the IMO and Japan of its plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11.

In an article carried by state media Sunday, the North claimed that the IMO has been reduced to a "tool moving under the control of the White House," and defended the launch as an exercise of its sovereign right for self-defense.

Pyongyang has vowed to "correctly" put the satellite into orbit soon despite global condemnation that the move breaches multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions banning any launch using ballistic missile technology.

mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)