 |
| North Korean Rocket Launch (File Photo) |
By Shannon Tiezzi
China has warned against the launch, while South Korea promises to seek UN action if the North launches a rocket.
On October 10, North Korea will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Observers are wondering whether Pyongyang will decide to mark the occasion with a literal bang, by launching a satellite via a long-range missile during the celebrations.
North Korea maintains that such launches are part of a peaceful space program; the United States and South Korea say that the satellite launches are simply excuses to test ballistic missiles. “There are multiple UN Security Council resolutions that require North Korea to suspend all activities related to their ballistic missile program … So any satellite launch using ballistic missile technology would be a clear violation of those resolutions,” U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
A release from North Korea’s KCNA added fuel to the speculation that a launch is in the works. KCNA interviewed the director of North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration, who spoke of “shining achievements” in the “field of outer space development.” The director, in particular, said that “NADA is pushing forward at a final phase the development of a new earth observation satellite for weather forecast.”
“The world will clearly see a series of satellites of Songun [military-first] Korea soaring into the sky at the times and locations determined by the WPK Central Committee,” KCNA concluded.
Read the full story at The Diplomat