By Scott A. Snyder
The New York Times reports today North Korea’s announcement that it will launch a satellite next month as part of festivities to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The story includes immediate reaction statements from South Korea, the United States, and Japan criticizing North Korean plans for such a launch.
Despite North Korean protestations that they have an inherent right to peaceful use of space, North Korean testing of multi-stage rockets was proscribed by the United Nations in U.N. Security Council resolution 1874 that was passed following North Korea’s 2009 satellite launch and missile tests.
If the test goes ahead, it will destroy any prospect for “simultaneous moves aimed at building confidence” with the United States that North Korea had invoked in its February 29 statement announcing the return of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors in exchange for U.S. food assistance to North Korea.
Read the full story at The Diplomat