This is John Batcher, conversation with my colleague David Maxwell of the Global Peace Foundation

about North Korea's satellite launch successful recently after two failures.

What does this mean for North Korea's intentions?

Spacefaring nation or these are spy satellites?

South Korea is answered with spy satellite launches of its own.

However, David addresses how it is that North Korea has achieved this.

Perhaps there was technology transfer from Russia after the meeting between Mr. Kim and

Mr. Putin in Vladivostok.

But then again, there are conditions in North Korea that are unlike anywhere else I can imagine.

Developing a successful launch took the US many failures back in the 1950s and 60s.

And North Korea, after two failures, has achieved a orbit for its spy satellite watching the conditions of the Korean Peninsula we can imagine

and in the Yellow Sea we can imagine and in its region of the world.

And the success is a credit to those who under horrible conditions have worked

effectively knowing what their fate could be if they failed.

Here's David Maxwell on a tribute to whoever they are in the North Korean program for

launching to orbit. Yes, I think so. I think that, you know, they are, North Korea has demonstrated a great ability to develop weapon systems, technology, of course, its nuclear program. And I, you know, speaking objectively,

I give their scientists and technicians

great credit for being able to produce

under such a terrible despotic regime that you know while the regime wants nuclear

weapons wants missile technology once space launch capabilities and

satellite capabilities.

North Korea is not an ideal environment

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