"I'm not saying it's a clear case of excessive force, but it is a very strong case for excessive use of force, " lawyer Luis Parra was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
"We now have leapt up a step to become a space-power nation, " he said, adding that South Korea would use this "overwhelming moment as a strong, dynamic force" to help drive an independent space programme.
However, the argument that resolution 1441 alone has revived the authorisation to useforce in resolution 678 will only be sustainable if there are strong factual grounds for concluding that Iraq has failed to take the final opportunity.
President Bush not only failed to secure Moscow's approval for a U.S. use of force, he was put on notice that the USSR would take strong exception to such use.