South Korea delays its own spy satellite liftoff, days after North’s satellite launch

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it has postponed the planned launch of its first military spy satellite set for this Thursday. South Korea’s first domestically built spy satellite had been scheduled to lift off aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base. The South Korean Defense Ministry said Tuesday the launch was delayed due to weather conditions. It says the launch was tentatively rescheduled for this Saturday. Rival North Korea claimed to put its own spy satellite into orbit for the first time on Nov. 21. The North Korean launch violated U.N. Security Council resolutions and flamed tensions on the Korean Peninsula.