The official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday’s test involved cameras for a reconnaissance satellite that was performing vertical and oblique photography of a specific area of Earth.
official Korean Central News Agency Sunday’s test included cameras for a reconnaissance satellite doing vertical and oblique photography of a specific area of Earth.
North Korea said on Monday it tested cameras mounted on a spy satellite, a suggestion it may soon use a restricted long-range rocket launch to modernize its weapons arsenal and apply more pressure on the Biden administration. will operate.
The United Nations and others see a satellite launch by North Korea as cover missile technology test, because ballistic missiles and rockets share similar bodies, engines and other technology in satellite lift-off. Concerns about North Korea’s satellite launch grew after it recently threatened to lift a four-year moratorium on major weapons tests to counter US hostilities.
official Korean Central News Agency Sunday’s test included cameras for a reconnaissance satellite doing vertical and oblique photography of a specific area of Earth. It said the test was “of great importance in developing the reconnaissance satellite” and released photos of the Korean peninsula that appear to have been taken from space.
North Korea did not directly acknowledge any missile launch, but KCNA The statement shows that North Korea fired rockets or missiles to take space-based photographs. US, South Korean and Japanese officials said on Sunday they had detected a new ballistic missile launch by North Korea, the eighth of its kind this year.
Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, said the pictures were probably taken when the missile was flying or reaching its peak. But Mr. Lee said he could not verify the quality of North Korean cameras because it does not release high-resolution satellite images.
After repeated failures, North Korea successfully put its first satellite into orbit in 2012 and the second in 2016. North Korea says both are Earth observation satellites launched as part of its Peaceful Space Development Program.
Mr. Lee said North Korea developed both satellites to spy on its adversaries. He said the second satellite is said to be still inactive, but there is no evidence that it has sent any imagery back to North Korea.
Experts say the North’s past satellite launches still improved its missile programs. In 2017, North Korea conducted three intercontinental ballistic missile tests, demonstrating its potential to strike the US mainland with nuclear weapons.
A spy satellite is one of a series of sophisticated weapons systems that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to develop last year as part of five-year military construction plans. It is not clear whether North Korea has developed or has secure enough cameras to be mounted on a satellite and capable of monitoring South Korean and US military activities.
Cheong Seong-chang, at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea, said North Korea hopes to launch a rocket carrying a spy satellite ahead of a major political anniversary in April, the death of Kim Jong’s late grandfather, state founder Kim Il. It’s Sung’s birthday. Un.
He suggested that Washington’s strained relations with Moscow and Beijing – both veto-sparing powers in the UN Security Council – would make it difficult for the United Nations to impose additional sanctions on North Korea on satellite launches. He said tensions would still deepen as the United States strengthens military exercises with South Korea, which North Korea sees as an offensive rehearsal in response.
In January, North Korea tested a variety of missiles, including one capable of reaching the US Pacific region of Guam and prompted a resumption of suspended long-range and nuclear tests. The North Korean move was seen as a bid to influence its weapons technology, while the Biden administration was under pressure to make concessions such as easing sanctions and increasing its leverage in future talks with Washington.
Some experts say North Korea may see America’s engagement with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an opportunity to ramp up testing activity without receiving any serious backlash from Washington.
According to Japanese assessment, the North Korean missile struck a maximum altitude of about 600 kilometers (370 mi) on Sunday before landing off North Korea’s east coast, covering a range of about 300 kilometers (190 mi).
Mr. Lee said the North needed a more powerful rocket to put an active spy satellite into orbit.
Following Sunday’s launch, US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim held talks with senior South Korean and Japanese diplomats. State Department spokesman Ned Price said he underlined America’s readiness to engage in serious diplomacy with North Korea, while reaffirming America’s commitment to protecting South Korea and Japan.
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