S. Korea conducts rocket launch days after North’s ICBM test

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it has conducted its first successful launch of a solid-fuel rocket in what it calls a major step toward acquiring a space surveillance capability amid rising animosities with North Korea. The launch comes six days after North Korea conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017 in an apparent attempt to expand its weapons arsenal and increase pressure on the U.S. amid stalled disarmament talks. South Korea’s Defense Ministry says it will soon launch a spy satellite aboard a solid-fuel rocket. South Korea currently has no military reconnaissance satellites and depends on U.S. spy satellites to monitor strategic facilities in North Korea.