NK News:
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon yesterday urged North Korea to scrap its plans for an upcoming satellite launch.
“It will further aggravate the profound concerns that the international community already has in the wake of the recent nuclear test,” Ban said through the statement, released by his spokesperson.
Ban urged the DPRK to cease use of ballistic missile technology in general as well as asking them to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported on Tuesday that North Korea announced to international organizations, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), that they have a plan to launch the satellite some time from February 8-25.
“It is my pleasure to inform you of the decision of the Government of DPRK to launch earth observation satellite ‘Kwangmyongsong’ pursuant to the national space development (program),” a written notice by North Korea to the IMO read.
The international community has urged North Korea to withdraw the satellite launch plan because the launch is considered a cover for a test of the North’s ballistic missile technology.
“North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on January 6. Even though the international community has warned it continuously, they are trying to launch a satellite. They are actually trying to launch a long-range missile by pretending to launch a satellite,” a spokesperson for South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said at a briefing today.
After the fourth nuclear test North Korea conducted in early 2016, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been trying to impose new measures and sanctions against the DPRK. However, due to differing opinions, particularly between China and the United States, discussions at the UNSC have yet to produce sanctions.
