Experts call NK's satellite announcement attention

This Nov. 21, 2023 photo carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency shows the launch of the North Korean military spy satellite Malligyong-1. Yonhap

North Korea’s notification to the Japan Coast Guard about its plan to launch a military spy satellite just ahead of a trilateral summit involving Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing was aimed at attracting the attention of neighboring countries, according to experts, Monday.

In the notice, North Korea identified three maritime danger zones that could be affected by the planned launch sometime between Monday and June 4 — two over the West Sea and the third zone east of the Philippines.

The warning from the North came hours before South Korea, Japan and China held their first trilateral summit in more than four years in Seoul.

“The timing is purely political. North Korea wants to draw attention and show it has control over the situation on the Korean Peninsula. It also wants to create a rift between Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing by testing how China reacts to its announcement,” said Yang Moo-jin, the president of the University of North Korean Studies.

Cho Han-bum, a senior research fellow at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, agreed that North Korea can draw attention to itself by announcing its plan to launch a satellite during the three-way talks, but its announcement comes as part of its plan to launch three more satellites this year after the first successful launch in November 2023.

“I don’t think North Korea will launch its spy satellite when China’s Li and Japan’s Kishida are in Seoul because it can put China in an ‘awkward’ position and the North is still seeking a dialogue with Japan. I think the weather condition is crucial in deciding when to launch,” Cho said.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks as Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and China's Premier Li Qiang listen during a joint press conference following their trilateral summit meeting in Seoul, Monday. APF-Yonhap

A spy satellite is among several high-tech military assets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly vowed to develop.

Cho said North Korea may have developed a new satellite and a space rocket, which could be a reason for delaying the launch, which was widely anticipated to happen sometime in April but is believed to have been delayed for technical improvements.

“It has been reported that a number of Russian experts went to North Korea to help with its satellite development. The North has reportedly staged more engine tests, potentially to upgrade its launch capabilities,” he said.

The Ministry of Unification called the North’s satellite launch plan a “clear violation” of a U.N. Security Council resolution that prohibits North Korea from using ballistic missile technology.

“It is a provocative act that seriously threatens our security and regional security. We strongly urge North Korea to immediately cease its satellite launch plan,” the ministry’s spokesperson said during a press briefing.

South Korea’s military said it staged air drills near the inter-Korean border in response to North Korea’s planned satellite launch. Around 20 fighter jets including F-35A, F-15K and KF-16 jets conducted drills in a central region south of a no fly-zone near the border, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

“The exercise was conducted to demonstrate our military’s capabilities to sternly punish the enemy immediately if they carry out a provocation," the JCS said in a statement.