South Korea to conduct satellite launch as North Korea pushes to fire its 1st military spy satellite

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea is about to conduct its first commercial-grade satellite launch as rival North Korea is pushing to place its first military spy satellite into orbit. The South Korean satellite will be launched by a domestically made rocket on Wednesday under the country’s space development program. Many experts say it will eventually help South Korea acquire technologies required to build military surveillance satellites and more powerful missiles. The Science Ministry says the Nuri space launch vehicle was scheduled to lift off from a launch facility on a southern South Korean island.