North Korean authorities have informed Japanese authorities of their intention to launch a satellite, possibly as early as Wednesday. North Korea defies South Korea’s warnings and UN Security Council resolutions that supposedly prohibit Pyongyang from using ballistic missile technologies.
The new attempt, likely to take place between November 22 and December 1, according to the Japanese coastguard, will be North Korea’s third, following two failed attempts to launch a military observation satellite in May and August. .
Any use of ballistic missile technology is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has warned, adding that his government is coordinating with South Korea and the US, its partners in a tripartite defense pact.
North Korea in August designated three sea zones that could be at risk from the launch it carried out at the time, two in the Yellow Sea west of the Korean peninsula, a third in waters east of the Philippines.
“The danger zones reported by North Korea this time correspond to those announced in the satellite launch plan in August,” a South Korean official commented, according to South Korea’s national news agency Yonhap.
Warnings of retaliation from South Korea
Seoul has warned for weeks that Pyongyang is in the “final stages” of preparations for a new attempt to launch a spy satellite, and South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said last Sunday that it could move forward within the week.
On Monday, South Korea’s military warned North Korea to “immediately” stop its preparations, saying it would take “necessary measures” otherwise.
South Korean President Yun Seok-gil may “suspend the September 19 military agreement,” said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
It is an agreement signed in 2018 during a summit in Pyongyang aimed at de-escalating tensions along the heavily guarded border and also provided for the creation of maritime “neutral zones”.
Besides, tests of medium- or long-range solid-fuel ballistic missiles by the South Korean side are “not ruled out” anymore, according to Mr. Yang.
The recent tightening of relations between North Korea and Russia has caused concern in the US, South Korea and Japan.
According to Seoul, Pyongyang is supplying weapons and ammunition to Moscow in exchange for Russian space technologies so it can launch a military spy satellite.
In early November, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken criticized the “increasing and dangerous” military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow during a visit to South Korea.
North Korea has carried out a record number of missile tests this year, defying international sanctions and warnings from the US, South Korea and other allies. He has also characterized the status of a nuclear power that he has acquired as “irrevocable”.
Last week, it announced that it had successfully ground-tested a “new type” of solid-fuel engine intended for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), which it is formally prohibited from developing, a step it described as critical given the “serious and volatile” situation security in the area.
American aircraft carrier in the area
The US, South Korea and Japan have stepped up military cooperation citing the North Korean threat. Today US nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived at the Busan Naval Base in South Korean territory.
The visit is intended to strengthen “allies’ posture in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats” as part of a recent agreement that called for increased “regular deployments of US strategic assets,” South Korea’s navy said in a statement. of.
By “strategic assets,” Seoul is referring to US weapons systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Pyongyang resents the strengthening of US cooperation with the South Korean and Japanese militaries and perceives joint exercises by the armed forces of the first two states as rehearsals for an invasion of its territory.
The Korean War (1950-1953) ended with a simple armistice, a peace agreement was never signed. Technically, North and South Korea remain at war.
The article North Korea warned Japan that it will launch a satellite was published in NewsIT.