North Korea to launch satellite in days – Japan
TOKYO: North Korea on Monday notified Japan that it plans to launch a satellite in the coming days, which may be an attempt to put Pyongyang’s first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit.
Japan’s coast guard said the notice it received from North Korean waterway authorities said the launch window was from May 31 to June 11, and may affect waters in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and east of the Philippines’ Luzon island.
The coast guard issued a safety warning for ships in the area on those dates because of the possible risks from falling debris. It coordinates and distributes maritime safety information in East Asia, which is likely the reason it received Pyongyang’s notice.
To launch a satellite into space, North Korea would have to use long-range missile technology banned under United Nations Security Council resolutions. Its past launches of Earth observation satellites were seen as disguised missile tests.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the launch would violate those resolutions and pose a “threat to the peace and safety of Japan, the region and the international community.”
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered Tokyo’s Self Defense Force to shoot down the satellite or debris if any entered Japanese territory.
Matsuno said it was possible the satellite would enter or pass above Japan’s southwestern islands, including Okinawa, where the United States has major military bases and thousands of troops.
Tokyo has already been on standby for falling missile debris from North Korean launches earlier this year and has deployed missile defense systems in southwestern Japan, such as PAC-3 and ship-to-air interceptors.
South Korea warned on Monday that the North would face consequences if it went ahead with its launch plan in violation of the said resolutions banning the North from conducting any launch using ballistic technology.
“Our government strongly warns North Korea against a provocation that threatens peace in the region and urges it to withdraw its illegal launch plan immediately,” a ministry statement said. It said South Korea would cooperate with the international community to resolutely cope with any North Korean provocation.
Earlier this month, North Korean state media reported leader Kim Jong Un had inspected a finished military spy satellite at his country’s aerospace center and approved the satellite’s launch plan. Monday’s launch notice did not specify the satellite type.
Last week, Seoul launched its first commercial-grade satellite into space, which is likely to provide it with technology and expertise to place its first military spy satellite into orbit later this year and build more powerful missiles. Experts say Kim would want his country to launch a spy satellite before South Korea does.
North Korea placed Earth observation satellites in orbit in 2012 and 2016. Pyongyang does not notify neighboring countries of its missile firings in advance, but has issued notices ahead of satellite launches in the past.
While North Korea has demonstrated an ability to deliver a satellite into space, there are questions about the satellite’s capability. Foreign experts say the earlier satellites never transmitted imagery back to North Korea, and analysts say the new device displayed in state media appeared too small and crudely designed to support high-resolution imagery.
Spy satellites are among an array of high-tech weapons systems Kim has publicly vowed to develop. Other weapons systems on his wish list include solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered submarines, hypersonic missiles and multiwarhead missiles.