North Korea Announces Satellite Launch Plans, Japan Will Alert Aegis Destroyers to Patriot Missiles

JAKARTA - North Korea informed Japan of its plans to launch a space satellite at the end of this month until the beginning of next month, Tokyo responded by assessing it as violating UN Security Council resolutions and alerting its military.

The Japanese Coast Guard on Tuesday said North Korea had notified it of plans to launch a rocket carrying a space satellite between November 22 and December 1 towards the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.

If realized, this would be Pyongyang's third attempt to put its spy satellite into orbit, reported Reuters, November 21.

Pyongyang is known to have failed to launch spy satellites twice earlier this year. If realized, the launch would also be the first since the country's leader visited Russia.

Visiting Russia's most modern space launch center, North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un received a promise from Russian President Vladimir to help build a satellite.

In a statement carried by the KCNA news agency, North Korea's Defense Ministry said Pyongyang would step up measures to prevent and respond to instability in the region, which it said was caused by the United States and its allies.

Pyongyang has sought to put military spy satellites into orbit, saying it plans a fleet of satellites to monitor US and South Korean troop movements.

North Korea considers its military space and rocket program a sovereign right, while analysts say spy satellites are crucial to increasing the effectiveness of its weapons.

In response, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida criticized North Korea's plans, saying his country's defense system, including Aegis destroyers and PAC-3 air defense missiles (Patriot missiles), was on standby in case of "unforeseen situations".

"Even if the aim is to launch a satellite, the use of ballistic missile technology is a violation of a series of UN Security Council resolutions," PM Kishida told reporters.

"This is also a problem that greatly affects national security," he stressed.

Japan will work with the United States, South Korea and other countries to "strongly urge" North Korea not to go ahead with the launch, PM Kishida said.