This photo provided by KT Sat, a satellite service arm of KT Corp., on May 5, 2017, shows South Korea’s fourth telecommunications satellite, named the Mugunghwa-7, being launched from the Guiana Space Center at Kourou in French Guiana. (Yonhap)
It looks like the North Koreans are preparing for their next provocation:
North Korea said Thursday it will continue to launch satellites into space despite South Korea’s condemnation, which analysts said points toward Pyongyang testing a long-range rocket soon.
North Korean satellites will continue going up even as South Korea condemns Pyongyang’s move, an unidentified spokesman at North Korea’s bureau on space development was quoted as saying by the country’s media.
“We will march toward the goal of conquering space by firing off more satellites in accordance with our five-year space development program,” the spokesman said.
The report came amid growing speculation that North Korea is likely to launch a long-range rocket in the not-too-distant future after its last launch in February.
Pyongyang has claimed it has the right to develop its space program by putting satellites into orbit, but Seoul and Washington have viewed Pyongyang’s move as a disguised test for its ballistic missile technology. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but I wonder if they will time it to coincide with the US Presidential election?
Here is another sign of increased ROK and Japanese military cooperation which will hopefully continue to build trust between the two nations. For those that don’t know DSP satellites have infrared sensors that can detect heat from missile launches or nuclear detonations:
South Korea plans to set up a new military network to share text and imagery information on North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missiles with the United States and Japan this year, the Defense Ministry said Friday.
The military plans to install a Link16 data link, connecting its interface control cell with that of the United States Forces Korea, both in Osan, south of Seoul, showed the ministry’s 2016 policy plan reported to President Park Geun-hye earlier in the day.
The military tactical data exchange network will allow the allies to share text and imagery intelligence on North Korea’s nuclear and missile activities nearly on a real-time basis.
With the data link, South Korea will be able to gain access to U.S. information collected from its Defense Support Program reconnaissance satellite over the Korean Peninsula.
The move practically means South Korea will have the real-time military data link also with Japan, given the USFK’s Link16 connection with the Japanese military.
“Despite the U.S.-Japan linkage, information sharing will not take place without the agreement from each side and, even if it takes place, it will be confined to subjects on North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles,” a defense official said. [Yonhap]
The North Koreans have been eager to describe their Taepodong-2 rocket as a space launch vehicle in their attempt to justify its launch. However, the US says the rocket is a disguised attempt to get around the UN resolutions that forbid a missile program:
There hasn’t been a launch for more than two years, but a North Korean official told the Associated Press earlier this month that it’s planning to place a further satellite into orbit.
That announcement was met with a frosty reception in Washington.
“Any rocket capable of placing an object in orbit is directly relevant to the development of long-range ballistic missiles, as many ballistic missile and space launch vehicle technologies are virtually identical and interchangeable,” said State Dept. spokeswoman Marie Harf during a briefing on June 4.
“So we’ll be watching this. It could very likely contravene U.N. Security Council resolutions,” she said.
That prompted reporters to ask about a distinction between the satellite and the launch itself. Here’s video of the exchange:
At the time, the question wasn’t answered, but on Monday a State Department spokesperson told North Korea Tech that a North Korean satellite itself isn’t its concern.
Other countries are not prohibited from launching North Korean satellites, as long as the launches are carried out in accordance with international law, including the obligations in U.N. Security Council resolutions, the spokesperson said. [North Korea Tech]
