reader George:

Snip

North Korea’s deputy U.N. ambassador Tuesday accused the United States of violating U.N. sanctions as he announced Pyongyang’s plan to launch more satellites as a part of a space development program.

Speaking to a U.N. General Assembly committee on “International Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,” Kim In Ryong announced North Korea’s five-year plan for 2016-2020 to develop “practical satellites that can contribute to the economic development and improvement of the people’s living.”

Kim accused the U.S. of trying to block what he described as North Korea's peaceful efforts to develop its economy, "all grounded on legal basis in all aspects."

But many U.N. members, including the U.S., fear that North Korea's space program is actually a cover for its weapons program.

Missile launches and a test of what North Korea described as a hydrogen bomb have helped strain its relations with the U.S. in recent months. In addition, the regime of leader Kim Jong Un has used defiant rhetoric toward the U.S., and its territories and allies.