US rejects NK's 'double standard' claim on Seoul's satellite launch

The US Department of State said Monday that South Korea is not the subject of UN Security Council sanctions, after North Korea accused the United States of having a "double standard" over space programs.

Last month, the North launched a space rocket to put a military spy satellite into orbit, drawing international criticism that it violated multiple UNSC resolutions banning any launch using ballistic missile technology.

South Korea also launched a military reconnaissance satellite from a US military base last week and conducted a test flight of a solid-fuel rocket in waters south of the country's island of Jeju on Monday. But its launches were seen as legitimate security efforts.

"South Korea is not the subject of multiple UN Security Council resolutions over its (North Korea's) dangerous and destabilizing activities in this area," Matthew Miller, the department's spokesperson, told a press briefing.

Miller also reiterated Washington's willingness to engage in dialogue with Pyongyang.

"We have made clear from the outset of this administration that we would welcome dialogue with the DPRK, we would welcome a peaceful resolution to our concerns over its destabilizing activities," he said, referring to the North by the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"We have made clear that we do not seek conflict with the DPRK in any form or fashion but as of yet, those entreaties have all been rejected," he added.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, an unnamed spokesperson at North Korea's National Aerospace Technology Administration claimed Monday that the US has a "double standard" over South Korea's spy satellite, as it "brazenly" helped Seoul's launch, while condemning the North's "exercise of its sovereign right." (Yonhap)