Seoul-North Korea has conducted “another important” test of its reconnaissance satellite system, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday.
The launch has led to criticism from the US, South Korean and Japanese governments and warned that the North Korean fraudulent government is preparing to conduct major weapons tests in the coming months. They see North Korea’s satellite launches as a thinly obscured test of ballistic missile technology banned by a UN Security Council resolution.
According to the KCNA, the test was conducted “under a reconnaissance satellite development program.”
It was the second time in a week to test satellite equipment, and this year was the ninth missile launch.
Similar to the previous test on February 27, KCNA did not elaborate on the type of rocket used for the launch, but South Korean officials said it was launched from an area near Pyongyang, where the international airport is located. He said it looked like a ballistic missile.
South Korean troops said the North Korean missile reached a height of about 560 km (350 miles) and flew 270 km (170 miles).
North Korea has launched a record number of weapons in January amid stagnant denuclearization talks, suggesting that it will be able to resume testing nuclear weapons or their longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since 2017. did.
Saturday’s test took place just days before Wednesday’s presidential election in South Korea. Officials say North Korea may attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite into orbit in the near future.
Lee Jong-suk, a foreign policy adviser to the ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung, told Reuters that “the satellite launch will have a serious impact because it is the same technology used to launch the ICBM. Let’s do it. “
Josh Smith
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