SEOUL: Japan Coast Guard has claimed that North Korea is all set to make a third attempt to launch its first military spy satellite between November 22 and December 1, South Korean media reported on Tuesday.
The coast guard in a notice issued the maritime navigational warning that includes a set of coordinates provided by North Korea for scheduled rocket stage drop zones in the Yellow Sea and Pacific Ocean.
The third attempt is likely to take place on Wednesday morning if weather allows.
The Japanese Prime Minister’s Office has issued a strong demand to stop the launch and said it would coordinate with the U.S. and South Korea over the issue.
South Korea terms satellite launch a major threat to its security
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) also asked North Korea not to go through with another attempt, terming it a major threat to its security.
The two of the military spy satellites earlier launched by North Korea had resulted in failure.
The South Korean military later found the rocket sections from the Yellow Sea claiming it salvaged the Malligyong-1 satellite.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in September in Russia, where Putin said he would support Kim to develop satellite technology.
The country appears to be going for the same orbit as it planned for the first two launch attempts.
Kim announced his military satellite plans at a party congress in January 2021. He made a series of visits to launch facilities in 2022 and this year a new launchpad was constructed rapidly at Sohae just before the May launch.
The name of the country’s space agency was also changed in September from the National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) to the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA).
