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North Korea says its next spy satellite is heading into space soon
- Pyongyang told Japan it intends to launch the satellite by June 4. Rocket debris could fall near the Korean peninsula and Philippine island of Luzon
- Nuclear-armed North Korea launched its first reconnaissance satellite in November, in a move that drew international condemnation
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North Korea has notified Japan of plans to launch a satellite by June 4, Japanese media reported on Monday citing the coastguard, after Seoul said Pyongyang was preparing to put another military spy satellite into orbit.
The Japanese coastguard said the eight-day launch window began at midnight on Sunday into Monday, with North Korea’s notice designating three maritime danger zones near the Korean peninsula and the Philippine island of Luzon where the satellite-carrying rocket’s debris might fall, according to the Kyodo news agency.
Officials from the United States, Japan and South Korea agreed in a phone call to urge Kim Jong-un’s regime to suspend the plan, as any launch using ballistic missile technology would violate United Nations resolutions, Kyodo reported.
Nuclear-armed North Korea launched its first reconnaissance satellite in November in a move that drew international condemnation, with the United States calling it a “brazen violation” of UN sanctions.
Experts say that spy satellites could improve Pyongyang’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, particularly over fierce rival South Korea, and provide crucial data in any military conflict.
04:12
North Korea claims to have successfully put its first spy satellite into orbit
North Korea claims to have successfully put its first spy satellite into orbit
Seoul said on Friday that South Korean and United States intelligence authorities were “closely monitoring and tracking” presumed preparations for the launch of another military reconnaissance satellite.
The suspected preparations were detected in North Korea’s Tongchang-ri county, Seoul said, which is home to the isolated country’s Sohae Satellite Launching Ground. It was also where the North staged three satellite launches last year, with only the final one being successful.
Seoul has said the North received technical help from Russia for that satellite launch, in return for sending Moscow weapons for use in the war in Ukraine.
The warning from the North comes as Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo’s top leaders are expected to meet in South Korea on Monday for their first summit in nearly five years, though differing political stances mean North Korea is not expected to be on the table.
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