North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations assured the Security Council on Monday that the launch of a spy satellite several days ago was a “legitimate” act of self-defense against the United States, AFP reported.

According to North Korean media, after two failed launches in May and August, a rocket lifted off from North Korea on Tuesday and put the military surveillance satellite “Malligyong-1” into orbit. On Thursday, South Korea confirmed that the satellite had been successfully launched into orbit.

The West, Japan and South Korea condemned the launch, as did UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said the use of ballistic missile technology violated UN Security Council resolutions.

“No other nation in the world is in such a critical security situation” as North Korea, North Korean Ambassador Kim Son said Monday, lamenting that other countries are not subject to restrictions on satellites.

“A belligerent country, the United States, threatens us with nuclear weapons,” he added.

“It is the legitimate right of North Korea, as another belligerent, to develop, test, produce and possess weapons systems equivalent to those possessed or developed by the United States,” he justified.

Scoffing accusations that satellite technology is helping Pyongyang improve its missiles, he asked the Americans if they were “catapulting” their own satellites into orbit.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield rejected North Korea’s excuse, saying the “routine” joint US-South Korean military exercises were “defensive in nature”.

“We deliberately reduce risks and are transparent by announcing exercises in advance with dates and actions, unlike North Korea,” she added, stressing that the exercises do not violate any Security Council resolutions.

She also again accused veto-wielding permanent members China and Russia of preventing the Security Council from taking action against North Korea.

China’s deputy ambassador, Geng Shuang, accused Washington of “escalating tensions and confrontations” over its military alliance with Seoul.

“If North Korea continues to feel threatened and its legitimate security concerns remain, the peninsula will not be able to escape this security dilemma and will fall into a vicious cycle of retaliatory aggression,” he added.