[1/4] A solid-fuel space rocket is launched during a test flight over the sea near Jeju Island, South Korea, December 4, 2023. The Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - South Korea on Monday successfully conducted a flight of a solid-fuel rocket carrying a satellite over the sea near Jeju Island, the defence ministry said, amid a growing space race with neighbouring North Korea. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried South Korea's first spy satellite into orbit on Friday from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. North Korea on Monday denounced what it called Washington's "double standard" over the two Koreas' satellite launches and said such "brigandish" American standards would never be tolerated. A functioning reconnaissance satellite could allow North Korea to remotely monitor U.S., South Korean, and Japanese troops.

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Persons: California's, Kim Jong, Hyunsu Yim, hyang Choi, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: The Defense Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Agency for Defense Development, Korea's Hanwha, Hanwha Systems, SpaceX, California's Vandenberg Space Force, White House, Pentagon, U.S, Thomson Locations: Jeju, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, Pyongyang, United States, Korea, Norfolk , Virginia, South