https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-spy-satellite-launch-2d5d04c7945d9f7091e73486670aab24
South Korea has been trying to keep up with North Korea and its plans to launch a spy satellite later this month. South Korea wants to be able to monitor any activity occurring in North Korea, who is building a strong arsenal of nuclear weapons. North Korea has also been trying to launch a satellite, but their last two launches were unsuccessful due to technological issues. This is the first spy satellite that South Korea has. In the past they have used US satellites to monitor other regions. South Korea uses a three axis defense system, preemptive strike, missile defense, retaliatory assets, and combining this with a spy satellite will boost their military defense.
South Korea is attempting to keep up in a “satellite” race with North Korea. South Korea is doing this because they lack good surveillance on North Korea and want to build more security against them. North Korea is the biggest rival to South Korea so they must make sure they are protected against them. The geographic location of North Korea is a huge threat to South Korea, as they are bordering one another. This is why maximizing protection is so important. Another big threat to South Korea is North Korea’s growing military arsenal, especially with nuclear weapons. They must monitor the nuclear weapon situation so they can be prepared against any potential attacks.
This relates to class because it is concerning how countries interact with their neighboring states. Some countries consider bordering countries to be threats, and they must enforce some kind of defense system. It also relates to class through the international security pillar of international relations. North Korea has been adamant in their development of military equipment and nuclear weapons. So the world needs to be aware of what kind of progress they have made. These weapons being used by radical countries could be catastrophic and will affect so much on the global stage. That is why South Korea has decided to begin surveillance on their neighboring country.