United States warns North Korea

The US State Department has said that a potential North Korean satellite launch would violate international restrictions placed on the DPRK. The statement came after North Korean media revealed that Kim Jong-un had visited a facility where a spacecraft is being developed. The State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said the launch would breach “multiple UN Security Council resolutions” on North Korea’s ballistic missile program. Pyongyang has insisted on its right to develop its military capabilities, arguing that its weapons are for defensive purposes. On Tuesday, Kim met with scientists, technicians and senior officials as he inspected the country’s first military reconnaissance satellite, and approved an unspecified “future action plan” in preparation for the launch. Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have soared in recent months, with the DPRK carrying out a flurry of weapons tests in retaliation for several rounds of joint US-South Korean wargames.