While South Korea’s military plans to launch the second reconnaissance satellite early next month, North Korea is also preparing to launch its second reconnaissance satellite. However, the South Korean military reported no signs of an imminent launch.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Spokesperson Lee Sung Jun said in a regular briefing on the 28th, “Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies are closely monitoring North Korea’s military activities. North Korea is preparing for the additional launch of military satellites, but there are no signs of an imminent launch.”
North Korea launched its first military reconnaissance satellite, Manrikyong-1, on November 21st of last year and has publicly stated its plans to launch three more this year. As North Korea launched its first satellite about ten days earlier than the South Korean military, it is speculated that the second one might be launched before early April. South Korea’s military launched the first reconnaissance satellite on December 2nd of last year.
In particular, April includes major North Korean anniversaries such as the Day of the Sun (15th), which is Kim Il Sung’s birthday, and the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army (25th). Therefore, North Korea might launch a reconnaissance satellite to achieve military tasks around these anniversaries.
According to foreign media reports, personnel, vehicles, and materials movements continue to be detected at the West Sea Satellite Launch Site in Dongchang-ri, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, North Korea. Recently, there have been reports that a cover was installed to prevent exposure of the propellant while erecting it on the launch pad.
Regarding this, the head of the office, Lee, stated, “I don’t know about the cover. The North Korean military is currently conducting routine training, and the Korea-US alliance is prepared for the possibility of a provocation.”
Every time North Korea launches an artificial satellite, such as a reconnaissance satellite, it notifies Japan in advance. According to the World-Wide Navigational Warning System (WWNWS), Japan is in charge of adjusting the navigation warning area in the Western Pacific, including the waters off the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea has claimed that its launch of reconnaissance satellites is a “legitimate right related to strengthening its self-defense.”