North Korea plans to launch satellite; Japan demands a halt

PYONGYANG/TOKYO: Japan had demanded via diplomatic channels in Beijing on Monday (May 27) that North Korea cancel its planned satellite rocket launch.

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North Korea notified Japan of its plan to launch a rocket carrying a space satellite towards the Yellow Sea and east of Luzon Island between May 27 and June 4, the Japan Coast Guard said earlier in the day.

South Korea’s military said on Friday (May 24) it had detected signs in North Korea of possible preparations for a satellite launch in what would be the nuclear-armed North’s effort to place a second military reconnaissance craft in orbit.

South Korea and US intelligence authorities are closely monitoring North Korea’s activities, a South Korean military official said.

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The activities were spotted at Dongchang-ri, a northwestern area of the country where North Korea’s main space flight centre is based, the official said without elaborating.