DPRK plans satellite launch as Seoul, US hold drills
3 Min Read
The DPRK is reportedly planning to fire off a space rocket as South Korea and the US conduct joint military drills that Pyongyang calls provocative.
-
A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's rocket launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, June 19, 2023. (AP)
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is preparing for another satellite launch, triggering condemnation from Tokyo and Seoul on Tuesday, along with calls for its cancellation.
The scheduled launch is expected between August 24 and 31, as Pyongyang communicated to Japan's coast guard on Tuesday. This announcement prompted Tokyo to mobilize ships and its PAC-3 missile defense system in case the satellite were to land within Japanese territory.
Seoul strongly criticized the planned launch, deeming it an "unlawful act" as it contravenes UN sanctions that prohibit North Korea from engaging in tests involving ballistic technology.
The Unification Ministry of South Korea issued a statement asserting, "North Korea's self-proclaimed 'satellite launch' blatantly breaches UN Security Council resolutions... Regardless of the excuses North Korea may put forward, it cannot rationalize this illicit action."
The DPRK's notice mentioned three maritime zones that could be affected by its launch: off the Korean Peninsula’s west coast, in the East China Sea, and east of the Philippine island of Luzon.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called upon Pyongyang to abandon the launch, noting that Japan was collaborating with South Korea and the United States to gather more intelligence.
Kishida affirmed that Tokyo was taking "every conceivable precautionary measure to be ready for unforeseen circumstances."
Seoul claims DPRK hackers targeted joint military exercise with US
South Korea alleged that the DPRK launched a cyber attack targeting a joint military drill with the United States that is scheduled to start on Monday.
The two allies will begin their annual exercise dubbed "Ulchi Freedom Shield," a ten-day event that is directed against Pyongyang in particular, and other US adversaries in East Asia in general, on top of which is China.
A joint probe between the US Army and the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency claimed that DPRK hackers carried out "continuous malicious email attacks" on South Korean military contractors operating at the joint war simulation center linked to the exercise.
"Police investigation confirms that North Korean hacking group was responsible for the attack," the police said in a statement, adding that no information was compromised.
The report claimed that a group that goes by the name Kimsuky was suspected of being responsible for the infiltration, citing a similar tactic used in 2014 against Seoul's nuclear reactor.
The US and South Korea have undertaken large-scale joint military drills, simulating large-scale bombing against the DPRK.
Pyongyang has consistently denounced the joint exercises of the allies as rehearsals for invasion while cautioning about the repercussions of sustained hostility led by Washington in the region.
