Image credit: Reuter
Tokyo: A Japanese coast guard official said on Monday that, North Korea has announced a plan to launch a military satellite in the upcoming week, between May 31- June 11.
The military satellite, according to analysts, is a part of nuclear-armed North Korea’s efforts to advance its surveillance technology and drones’ capacity to strike any target in a situation of conflict.
It is believed that one of the reasons behind the launch of this satellite might be to put Pyangyong`s first reconnaissance military satellite into orbit. The notice from the North Korean water authorities stated that this launch has the potential to damage the waters in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and east of the Philippines’ Luzon Island, according to an official from Japan`s coast guard.
The news came to highlight when North Korea informed the Japanese coast guard, who informed Reuters, solidifying their earlier reports from Public broadcaster NHK and other Japanese Media.
To ensure that no one gets harmed during the launch, the Japanese coast guard issued a safety warning for the ships that would be sailing through the area during the launch week. Given that Japanâs coast guard coordinates and distributes maritime-related safety information in East Asia, North Korean Water authorities decided to be the suitable recipient of the notice.
Image Credit: AP
According to his office, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan has already instructed the officials to do their best to learn as much as they can about the satellite launch and inform the public.After Japan received the notice regarding the military satellite launch, a tweet from Japan`s Prime Minister office urged North Korea to refrain from launching the satellite adding that it would cooperate with relevant countries like South Korea and USA. The tweet furthermore added that the Japanese government would do all it can to collect and analyse information from the launch.
North Korean State Media KCNA reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in May inspected a military satellite facility. It also stated that North Korea has completed its work on first North Korean spy satellite. According to the KCNA report, Kim had given the non-permanent satellite launch preparatory committee his approval for the subsequent actions.
A plan to share real-time information on Pyongyang’s missile launches with South Korea, the United States, and Japan has already come under criticism from North Korean media, which said the three countries were talking about “sinister measures” to enhance military coordination.
Previous satellite launches by North Korea have shown that it is capable of launching a satellite into orbit, however, there are concerns regarding the satellite’s capabilities. According to analysts, the device shown in state media appeared to be too small and shoddily constructed to accommodate high-resolution pictures.
A satellite launch would make use of long-range missile technology that has been outlawed by previous U.N. Security Council resolutions. Because ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles frequently share identical bodies, engines, and other components, the United Nations saw the North’s previous launches of Earth observation satellites as a disguised test of its long-range missile capabilities.
