According to Japan, North Korea plans to send another satellite into space soon. The launch should take place by June 4th, as Japanese media reported on Monday.
Pyongyang has informed the Japanese Coast Guard that an eight-day launch window has been open since Monday night. The South Korean military said on Friday that North Korea was planning to launch a military spy satellite. Pyongyang said it had sent its first reconnaissance satellite into space in November. This has so far provided images of the US military base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and of “important targets” in South Korea.
Experts say the spy satellites could improve Pyongyang’s intelligence capabilities, particularly with regard to South Korea, and provide crucial data in a possible military conflict.
Relations between North and South Korea are currently at a low point. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un had announced that he would expand the development of weapons – including tactical nuclear weapons. In response, South Korea and the United States increased their defense cooperation.
