The Korean Central News Agency reported that "North Korea will launch its first military reconnaissance satellite next June, which will allow it to monitor U.S. military activities." In a statement conveyed by the agency, the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party, Ri Pyong Chol, condemned the joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, describing them as revealing their "reckless desire for aggression."
North Korea had previously announced that it had "completed the development of its first military reconnaissance satellite, and its leader Kim Jong Un approved the final preparations for its launch." The statement did not specify the exact timing of the satellite's launch, but North Korea notified Japan that the launch would occur between May 31 and June 11, prompting Tokyo to put its missile defense systems on alert.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department noted that "any tests conducted by North Korea involving ballistic missile technology, including that used to place a satellite into orbit, would constitute a violation of several United Nations resolutions."
Japan stated it would shoot down any projectile threatening its territory. This launch will be the latest in a series of missile launches and weapons tests conducted by Pyongyang, including last month's test of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. Analysts believe that "the new satellite will enhance North Korea's surveillance capabilities, enabling it to strike its targets more accurately in the event of war." Japan has placed its ballistic missile defenses on high alert and warned it would down any projectiles threatening its territory, following North Korea's notification of the upcoming satellite launch.
