(Seoul) Pyongyang is preparing to put a new military spy satellite into orbit, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo on Monday.
The Japanese Coast Guard believes the eight-day launch window has just opened, with a notice from North Korea designating three maritime danger zones near the Korean Peninsula and the Philippine island of Luzon, where the debris from the satellite carrier rocket could fall.
The South Korean military said on Friday that they suspected North Korea of soon wanting to launch a new military spy satellite, just before the first trilateral meeting in five years, between Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo, on Monday in South Korea.
Evidence of preparations for a satellite launch have been detected in North Korea’s Thongchang-ri county, home to the Sohae launch site.
It was from this site that North Korea launched three satellites, only the last of which was correctly put into orbit, last November. According to Pyongyang, this satellite provides images of American and South Korean military sites.
Nuclear-armed North Korea launched its first reconnaissance satellite last November, a move that drew international condemnation.
In December, Pyongyang indicated that it wanted to launch three additional spy satellites in 2024