Global Courant 2023-05-29 05:50:19
TOKYO (AP) — North Korea has informed neighboring Japan that it plans to launch a satellite in the coming days, which could be an attempt to launch Pyongyang’s first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit.
The Japan Coast Guard said the message it received from North Korean waterway authorities said the launch window was May 31 and June 11 and that the launch could affect waters in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and at least east of the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
The Japanese Coast Guard has issued a safety alert for ships that would pass through the area during the launch window. Japan’s Coast Guard coordinates and disseminates maritime safety information in East Asia, which is likely why it received the notification from North Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed officials to do their utmost to collect and analyze information related to the launch and inform people about it, his office said.
Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un viewed a completed military spy satellite at the country’s aerospace center and approved an unspecified future plan of action upon launch.
North Korea’s previous launches have demonstrated its ability to launch a satellite into space, but there are doubts about the satellite’s ability. Analysts say the device shown in state media appeared to be too small and crudely designed to support high-resolution images.
A launch to deliver a satellite into space would use long-range missile technology banned by previous UN Security Council resolutions. The UN viewed the North’s previous launches of Earth observation satellites as a disguised test of its long-range missile technology, because ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles often share similar bodies, engines and other components.
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Hyung-jin Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea.
