N. Korea to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite

North Korea officially notified to the Japanese Coast Guard on Monday that it would launch its first military reconnaissance satellite between midnight May 31 and midnight June 11. This would be in 13 days since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un approved the ‘Next Action Plan’ for satellite launch on May 16 after announcing the completion of the satellite last month. North Korea’s satellite launch in seven years since February 2016 when the Kwangmyongsong 4 launched in February 2016 is imminent. An analysis by The Dong-A Ilbo on the maritime threat zone that North Korea notified to Japan showed that the carrier of the satellite is likely to be launched on Wednesday, fly over the West Sea and land in the sea east of the Philippines.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, North Korea notified news of the launch to the Japanese government (Japan Coast Guard in compliance with the resolution of the International Maritime Organization, which stipulates that the country should notify the regional coordinator in advance in the event of missile launch affecting navigational safety. A Foreign Ministry official said that the action is seen as to highlight its actions as a legal launch in accordance with regulations. It was confirmed that South Korea and IMO Secretariat had not been notified because they were not subject to mandatory notification. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have not been notified by North Korea either.

On Monday, the South Korean National Security Office hosted an emergency National Security Council (NSC) Standing Committee chaired by National Security Office leader Cho Tae-yong. “North Korea will bear the price and suffering of the satellite launch if it insists to do so,” warned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its spokesperson. "Any DPRK launch that uses ballistic missile technology would also include SLVs (space launch vehicles) used to launch a satellite into space and that would violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," said a spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State.


Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com · Na-Ri Shin journari@donga.com