North Korea to launch satellite to spy on US military

Kim Jong Un and daughter Kim Joo Ae inspect North Korea's first military intelligence satellite. Credit: KCNA

North Korea State media said on Tuesday that it will launch its first military intelligence satellite in June to spy on the US military. Korea in real time.

The launch is expected between May 31 and June 11, and Yasukazu Hamada, Japan's defense minister, has ordered the Japan Self-Defense Force to shoot down the satellite or any debris if it enters Japan. .

The development of military intelligence technology has long been one of the DPRK's stated defense goals, but in a statement to the KCNA news feed, Ri Pyong-chul, a senior Central Military Commission official, appeared to link the latest move to a joint US-South Korean military. exercise.

Mr Rhee denounced the exercise, a display of firepower from tanks, missiles and warplanes that began last week about 30 kilometers from the border with North Korea, as openly demonstrating «reckless ambition for aggression» .

He added that in order to conduct the exercises, Pyongyang needed to have “means capable of collecting information about the enemy’s military operations in real time.”

North Korean leader gives green light to satellite's 'future action plan'. (Photo: STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)

Amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul also «strongly» warned against the launch, accusing Pyongyang of «absurdity» in using joint exercises. — is defensive in nature — as an excuse to launch a spy satellite.

To launch such a satellite into space, North Korea would have to use long-range missile technology banned by UN Security Council resolutions.

Past launches of Earth observation satellites were viewed by analysts as missile tests in disguise. warned that the latest technology would play a decisive role in the event of a pre-emptive nuclear strike, allowing for more accurate strikes in the event of war.

Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, said the launch was «a threat to the peace and security of Japan, region and the international community» as it can enter or pass over the southwestern islands, including Okinawa, where the US has large military bases and thousands of troops.

The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, the US and Japan have agreed on cooperation to promote a united and decisive international response.

China, North Korea's main trading partner, reiterated its call for a political settlement of tensions, urging all parties to «resolve each other's legitimate concerns through meaningful dialogue.»