conflicts
North Korea informs Japan about planned satellite launch
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© Uncredited/KCNA/KNS/dpa
Pyongyang is planning to launch a satellite – and there is concern in Japan: Space and long-range missiles are largely based on the same technology.
The Japanese Coast Guard has been informed by North Korea that a satellite launch is planned for the next few days. North Korea says it plans to launch between May 31 and June 11, the Coast Guard announced on Monday.
In Tokyo it is suspected that this will involve the launch of a long-range ballistic missile. In cooperation with the United States, South Korea and other countries, North Korea will be urged not to launch a missile, the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Twitter.
As early as December, the self-declared nuclear power North Korea reported that it had successfully tested the development of a reconnaissance satellite. It remained unclear which rocket was used to transport the “satellite test body”. The space and long-range missiles are largely based on the same technology. Last month, North Korea’s state media announced that it had completed the development of its first military Earth observation satellite.
The “military reconnaissance satellite number one” is complete and could be shot down at the planned time, ruler Kim Jong Un was quoted as saying. A start date has not yet been mentioned. A few days earlier, North Korea launched an ICBM that could theoretically reach US territory.
North Korea is banned from testing ICBMs and other ballistic missiles by UN decisions. Depending on the design, such rockets can be equipped with one or more nuclear warheads. North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is perceived as a direct threat by the US and its allies such as Japan and South Korea.