SEOUL, South Korea (news agencies) — Japan said Monday that North Korea has informed it of a plan to launch a satellite by June 3, an apparent effort to put its second military spy satellite into orbit.
The launch notification came as leaders of South Korea, Japan and China gathered in Seoul for their first trilateral meeting later Monday.
Japan’s coast guard said it has been notified by North Korea about its planned launch of a “satellite rocket,” with safety cautioning in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and China and east of the Philippine island of Luzon beginning Monday through midnight June 3.
The launch plan likely refers to the North’s efforts to launch its second military spy satellite into space.
South Korea’s military said Friday it detected signs that North Korea is engaging in activities believed to be preparations to launch a spy satellite at its main Tongchangri launch facility in the northwest.
Last November, North Korea sent its first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit as part of its efforts to build a space-based surveillance network to deal with what it calls U.S.-led military threats.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later told a key governing party meeting that the country would launch three additional military spy satellites in 2024.
The U.N. bans North Korea from conducting satellite launches, considering that a disguised test of its long-range missile technology.
The North’s November satellite launch deepened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with both Koreas taking steps to breach their 2018 agreement to reduce military tensions.
In recent years, North Korea has been engaged in a provocative run of missile tests to modernize and expand its weapons arsenals, prompting the U.S. and South Korea to strengthen their military drills in response. Experts say North Korea likely believes an enlarged weapons arsenals would increase its leverage in future diplomacy with the U.S.
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