North Korea confirms launch of military spy satellite

After notifying Japan, North Korea confirmed the deployment of a military spy satellite on Tuesday, May 30. The “Military Reconnaissance Satellite No. 1” will be “Launched in June”order “To deal with dangerous military operations of the United States and its slaves”, Ri Pyong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party, announced, as quoted by state agency KCNA. This official also accused the US of carrying out “Hostile Aerial Reconnaissance Operations in and Around the Korean Peninsula”.

Japan announced on Monday that it had informed North Korea of ​​the upcoming satellite launch. According to the Japanese government, the plan was to cover the launch of a ballistic missile. According to Tokyo, Pyongyang alerted the Japanese Coast Guard to the rocket launch between May 31 and June 11. The missile is expected to land in an area between the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the eastern Luzon Island in the Philippines.

“Despite being described as a satellite, a launch using ballistic missile technology would violate UN Security Council resolutions.” and threatens public safety, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday.

Order to shoot down

The Japanese Ministry of Defense has issued orders to shoot down any ballistic missile that is confirmed to fall on its land or sea, and for this it has deployed SM-3 and Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles.

“North Korea’s ‘satellite launch’ is in grave violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions banning all launches using ballistic missile technology and is a clear illegal act that cannot be justified under any pretext”The South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Pyongyang’s communications strategy, which will notify Japan of its future launches but not South Korea, could be linked to major joint exercises between Seoul and Washington, which are estimated to have begun Thursday about 25 kilometers south of the Korean border, according to Agence France-Presse. Cheong Cheong-sang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute’s Center for North Korea Studies. Also, Seoul “Called North Korea “enemy” In a security filing in February. North Korea doesn’t like Japan, but now it doesn’t like Seoul.Mr. According to Cheong.

Tokyo is open to talks with Pyongyang

Seoul and Tokyo have been trying to develop long-term ties for the past few weeks. including working together to counter North Korea’s military threats. But Kishida reiterated on Monday that Tokyo was open to talks with Pyongyang, which according to official North Korean media endorsed a conciliatory approach to relations with Japan, an unusual stance on the part of the isolated country.

North Korea has already tested ballistic missiles in 2012, and then in 2016, it fired what it described as satellite missiles over the Okinawa island sector in southern Japan.

The creation of a spy satellite is one of Pyongyang’s major defense plans unveiled by Kim Jong-un last year. The North Korean leader visited the workshop where the satellite is being built on May 16 and gave it the green light. “Future Action Plan”.