SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea announced plans to launch what appears to be a second military spy satellite over the next eight days starting Monday, drawing immediate and strong condemnation from neighboring South Korea and Japan.
The notification of the plans for the launch, banned by UN resolutions, was made as South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Seoul. First Trilateral Meeting It's been more than four years.
Japan's coast guard has been notified of North Korea's plans to launch a “satellite rocket” and has warned to be vigilant in the waters between the Korean peninsula and China, and east of the Philippine island of Luzon, from Monday until late at night on June 3.
North Korea provides launch information to Japan because Japan's Japan Coast Guard coordinates and distributes maritime safety information in East Asia.
North Korea's planned launch is believed to be an attempt to put the country's second military reconnaissance satellite into orbit. South Korea's military said on Friday that there were signs of preparations to launch a spy satellite at its main launch site in Tongchang-ri in northwestern North Korea.
The United Nations bans any satellite launches by North Korea, which it sees as a pretext for testing long-range missile technology. North Korea adamantly maintains it has the right to launch satellites and test missiles. It argues that spy satellites allow it to better monitor U.S. and South Korean movements and improve the precision strike capabilities of its nuclear-capable missiles.
“North Korea's launch using ballistic missile technology is a direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions and undermines peace and security in the region and the world,” Yoon said at the start of his talks with Kishida and Ri. “If North Korea goes ahead with the launch despite warnings from the international community, I believe the international community must respond sternly.”
Foreign Minister Kishida said he strongly urged North Korea to cancel the launch. China is an ally of North Korea, and Foreign Minister Li did not mention the North Korean satellite.
In a phone call early Monday, senior officials from Japan, South Korea and the United States agreed to urge North Korea to cancel the satellite launch. South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles North Korea affairs, called the North's satellite launch a “provocative act that seriously threatens the security of our country and the region.”
South Korea's military said later on Wednesday it deployed 20 fighter jets to the drills to demonstrate its determination to punish North Korea in case of any provocations. Japanese officials said their anti-missile missiles were ready to shoot down debris if a North Korean rocket fell on Japanese territory.
Last November, North Korea The first military reconnaissance satellite North Korea launched the satellite into orbit as part of efforts to build a space surveillance network to counter growing U.S.-led military threats. Kim Jong Un later told a ruling party meeting that the country was 3 additional military spy satellites 2024.
There is widespread doubt whether North Korea's satellites are capable of producing militarily meaningful images, but some civilian experts say a fleet of satellites could help North Korea maintain constant surveillance of large enemy targets.
The latest launch notification to Japan identified the same danger zones for rocket debris identified before North Korea's previous launch, suggesting North Korea may use the same first- and second-stage rockets as before, said Chang Yong-geun, a missile expert at the Korea Institute for National Strategy in Seoul.
Chang said the three satellites launched this year would allow North Korea to obtain more frequent images of South Korea, Japan and the U.S. territory of Guam.
Since 2022, North Korea has been conducting provocative missile tests as it seeks to modernize and expand its arsenal, while the United States, South Korea and Japan are strengthening their security ties. Experts say North Korea likely believes its arsenal will give it more leverage in future diplomacy with the United States.
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Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.
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