ANKARA 

North Korea on Saturday warned the US that any attack on its spy satellite will be considered a “declaration of war.”


In a statement, published by the Korean Central News Agency, the Defense Ministry said North Korea would consider taking "responsive action measures" for self-defense to undermine or destroy the viability of the US spy satellites.


"The U.S. Space Force's deplorable hostility toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s reconnaissance satellite can never be overlooked as it is just a challenge to the sovereignty of the DPRK, and more exactly, a declaration of war against it," said an unnamed ministry spokesman.


The reaction followed remarks by Sheryll Klinkel, a public affairs officer for the US Space Forces that were carried in Radio Free Asia earlier this week.


"Joint Force space operations could deny an adversary's space and counterspace capabilities and services using a variety of reversible and irreversible means, reducing the effectiveness and lethality of adversary forces across all domains," Radio Free Asia quoted Klinkel as saying.


The North Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said: "It is the mission of the armed forces of the DPRK, specified by its constitution and other laws, to exercise their war deterrent to protect the state sovereignty and territorial integrity in case a lethal military attack is carried out against the country's strategic assets or it is judged that such attack is imminent,"


On Friday, the US and its allies, including Japan, South Korea, and Australia, imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea over its military spy launching.


The move came after Pyongyang launched a reconnaissance satellite last week that sent photos of the US military installations in Japan, Guam, the White House, and the Pentagon, according to North Korea.


*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid