North Korea made an announcement on Tuesday, revealing its plans to launch its inaugural military spy satellite in June.
The country emphasized the significance of space-based reconnaissance in monitoring what it perceives as the "reckless" military drills conducted by the United States and South Korea, according to a report by AP.
People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test at a railway station in Seoul on April 13, 2023.
Japan Issues Warning
This statement followed North Korea's notification to Japan's coast guard, cautioning that the upcoming launch, scheduled between May 31 and June 11, might impact the waters in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and the eastern part of the Philippines' Luzon Island.
Responding to this, Japan's defense minister issued a warning to its forces, authorizing the shooting down of the satellite or any debris that may enter Japanese territory.
The coast guard warned ships in the affected seas about the potential of falling debris during the scheduled launch, and Japan's defense minister threatened to fire down any satellite or debris that entered Japanese land.
Although North Korea's adversaries have condemned the country's planned to launch as an illicit test of ballistic missile technology, it remains uncertain whether the satellite itself possesses sufficient advancement to fulfill North Korea's stated objectives of real-time tracking and monitoring of US and South Korean military activities.
Both North Korea's weapons testing and the joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea have escalated in recent months, creating a back-and-forth pattern, according to AP.
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North Korea Criticizes US-South Korean Drills
According to statements published in North Korean state media, Ri Pyong Chol, a senior military official, criticized the joint US-South Korean drills, which Pyongyang has long depicted as rehearsals for invasion. He emphasized that North Korea views space-based reconnaissance as essential for tracking these military exercises.
The South Korean and US armed forces recently conducted extensive live-fire exercises near the North Korean border as part of the series of drills commemorating the 70th anniversary of their alliance.
Both forces have portrayed these routine military exercises as defensive measures and have extended their training initiatives since 2022 to address the emerging threats posed by North Korea.
According to Ri, the increasing drills and military activities conducted by the US and South Korea demonstrate their "sinister intentions" in preparing for a potential preemptive military attack on North Korea.
He asserted that the military actions taken by the US and its forces had generated a worrisome security landscape, prompting Pyongyang to prioritize the acquisition of timely and reliable intelligence regarding military movements in the region.
South Korea has issued a cautionary statement, emphasizing that North Korea will face repercussions if it proceeds with the satellite launch, thereby violating United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit the use of ballistic technology by the North.
It is important to highlight that space-launch vehicles employed for satellite deployment share fundamental technologies with long-range missiles specifically engineered to deliver warheads capable of targeting intercontinental locations.
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