Is the U.S. Preparing for Space War? North Korea Condemns Military Build-Up in Asia

North Korea has criticized the forward deployment of U.S. Space Force units in the Asia-Pacific region, calling it a concentrated manifestation of Washington’s regional hegemony ambitions. Pyongyang warned that it would deter any military provocations from hostile forces.

In an article published Saturday by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Ri Song Jin, a researcher from the National Aerospace Development Administration of North Korea, commented on the recent inauguration of a U.S. Space Force unit at Yokota Air Base in Japan. Ri claimed this event, held last Wednesday, exemplified the United States’ aggressive military strategy in the region.

Ri criticized the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Space Force for attempting to justify this move as a necessary response to military threats from North Korea, Russia, and China, accusing Washington of deceiving the international community.

The researcher further stated that, as acknowledged by senior officials at the Pentagon, the mission of the U.S. Space Force is not only to monitor conflicts on Earth but also to conduct military operations in space. This includes neutralizing adversaries and integrating space-based forces into America’s overall warfighting capabilities.

Ri highlighted that the United States has chosen the Asia-Pacific region as the first overseas deployment site for its offensive Space Force units. He noted the establishment of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Space Command in November 2022, followed by the deployment of the first space combat forces in South Korea in December of the same year, and now the creation of a Space Force unit in Japan.

He argued that the concentration of space combat forces in the Asia-Pacific region aims to rapidly turn outer space—considered a shared asset of humanity—into a battlefield during a crisis. This strategy seeks to preemptively secure space-based strike capabilities against sovereign nations in the region and draw in allied forces to achieve overwhelming military superiority.

The report also mentioned that U.S. Space Forces stationed in South Korea have frequently participated in joint military exercises, such as the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, to enhance operational capabilities for potential contingencies on the Korean Peninsula.

Furthermore, Ri pointed to an agreement between the United States and Japan last November to expand space cooperation under the pretext of countering hypersonic missile threats from other countries. This agreement included plans for the joint development of low-Earth orbit satellites.

Ri concluded that the forward deployment of U.S. Space Force units in the Asia-Pacific is part of Washington’s hegemonic agenda, escalating regional military tensions and increasing the risk of armed conflict. He warned that North Korea would respond with more thorough self-defense measures to deter any military provocations by hostile forces and firmly safeguard the nation’s security interests and regional peace and stability.