According to an announcement by the official KCNA news agency, North Korea confirmed that it will launch a spy satellite in June with the aim of monitoring in real time the military movements of the United States and its allies. Ri Pyong Chol, vice chairman of the North Korean ruling party’s central military commission, assured that “military reconnaissance satellite No. 1” will be launched to confront dangerous military actions by the United States and its allies.
Japan received a notification from Pyongyang that a “satellite” was planned to be launched in the coming weeks. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated on Twitter that he believed the launch would involve a “ballistic missile.” According to Japanese authorities, North Korea notified the Japanese coast guard that it would launch a rocket between May 31 and June 11, landing in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, or east of Luzon Island in the Philippines.
North Korean leader Ri mentioned the need to expand reconnaissance and intelligence means to deal with dangerous military acts by the US and its allies. He also accused the US of conducting aerial espionage activities in and around the Korean peninsula.
Experts in the field point out that North Korea is justifying the satellite launch by blaming joint US-South Korean military exercises. Although the satellites and ballistic missiles have different missions, they share technology, which would imply a violation of UN Security Council resolutions banning ballistic missile launches.
North Korea has stepped up its missile launches in recent months, some of which have activated emergency systems in parts of Japan. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently inspected the country’s first military spy satellite and approved its plan for future action.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry condemned the North’s launch plans, calling them a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions and an illegal act that cannot be justified under any pretext.