North Korea to launch satellite to monitor US military

North Korean officials say the country will launch a reconnaissance satellite in June to monitor military moves by the US and its allies.

"The No. 1 military reconnaissance satellite will be launched in June. It is one of a series of reconnaissance measures that will play an irreplaceable role in monitoring and supervising dangerous actions of the US and its allies in real time," North Korea's central news agency KCNA quoted Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Ri Pyong-chol as saying on May 29.

North Korean officials criticized the "reckless actions" of Washington and Seoul, asserting that Pyongyang needs to expand its reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering measures, as well as improve its defensive and offensive weapons to boost its combat readiness.

"The US also regularly conducts hostile air reconnaissance over the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding areas," Ri added.

A North Korean satellite-carrying rocket lifts off from the launch pad in 2016. Photo: KCNA

Japan Coast Guard officials previously said Pyongyang had notified Tokyo of its plan to launch a satellite using a rocket between May 31 and June 11, warning of danger in areas of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and east of the Philippine island of Luzon.

Japan's Defense Ministry said it has been ordered to be ready to intercept any missile launched by North Korea if it is confirmed to fall on its territory. Preparations include deploying Patriot PAC-3 air defense missiles and Aegis destroyers equipped with SM-3 interceptors.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that any North Korean missile launch, including a satellite launch, violates UN Security Council resolutions and poses a serious threat to the safety of Japanese people.

Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from testing ballistic missiles. However, Pyongyang says the ban does not apply to its civilian space program.

The US, South Korea and Japan all believe that North Korea's satellite launches are just "cover" for missile tests, because they use similar technology. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno affirmed that "missile tests under the cover of satellite launches" are a threat to Japan's security, emphasizing that Tokyo will closely monitor the situation and respond if necessary.

North Korea launched satellite-carrying rockets twice in 2012 and 2016, both of which flew over Okinawa prefecture in southern Japan.

Vu Anh (According to KCNA )

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