North Korea is preparing to launch a spy satellite for the third time after it failed twice this year to launch a military “eye” into the sky.
South Korea’s military warned North Korea today to immediately halt preparations for the spy satellite launch and vowed to take “necessary measures” if it goes ahead.
Pyongyang is in the final stages of preparing for a third attempt, according to Seoul’s intelligence. South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said on Sunday that the missile launch could take place as early as this week. Kang Ho-pil, chief director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said:
We sternly warn North Korea to… immediately suspend the current preparations to launch a military spy satellite. If North Korea goes ahead with the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite despite our warning, our military will take necessary measures to guarantee the lives and safety of the people.
Pyongyang had already launched a missile in August, but that attempt was unsuccessful. The next launch was planned for October, but it never took place. South Korea said Pyongyang was supplying Russia with weapons in exchange for Russian space technology.
Analysts have noted a significant technological overlap between space launch capabilities and ballistic missile development, which Pyongyang is subject to numerous UN sanctions.
North Korea has conducted a record number of weapons tests this year, ignoring warnings from the US, South Korea and its allies. Last week it said it had conducted a successful ground test of a “new type” of solid-propellant engine for banned intermediate-range ballistic missiles, calling it a crucial step in combating a “grave and unstable security environment”.
In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin at the cosmodrome, the country’s most important domestic space launch centre. Asked by Russian state media whether his country would help the DPRK build satellites, Putin said “that’s what we came here for. The (North Korean) leader has a great interest in rocket technology.”
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik noted that with Russia’s likely help, North Korea appears to have nearly overcome an unspecified engine problem on a rocket needed to launch a spy satellite into space. He said North Korea will likely launch the satellite before 30 November, when South Korea plans to launch its first military spy satellite from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base.
A senior South Korean military officer Kang Hopil did not elaborate on what retaliatory measures South Korea might take in the event of a third launch. But he hinted that those steps could include resuming aerial surveillance and conducting live-fire drills in border areas in violation of a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement to reduce tensions on the frontline.
