N Korea: satellite is legitimate right

The North Korean government rejected international concerns Sunday about its planned satellite launch next month, saying it has sovereign rights. In a statement conveyed by the state-run KCNA news agency, the government defended its plans to fire a missile into space to launch a satellite. "The peaceful development and use of space is a universally recognized legitimate right of a sovereign state," the government said. "Satellite launches for scientific research and use of space for economic development can no longer be monopolized by a few countries." The government said the launch was planned in the North Pyongan province between April 12 and 16. However, the launch conflicts with leader Kim Jong Un's agreement with the United States at the beginning of the month to suspend long-range missile launches in exchange for 260,000 tons of food, The Washington Post reported. "Such a missile launch would pose a threat to regional security and would also be inconsistent with North Korea's recent undertaking to refrain from long-range missile launches," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.