Chinese state media has condemned North Korea’s latest plans and warned Pyongyang would pay a “severe price” for its provocations.
Advertisement
Analysts say that a new satellite launch would let North Korea to assess some the technology required for a long-range nuclear missile.
“We understand the DPRK (North Korea) has notified several United Nations agencies that it intends to launch a satellite in the coming days”.
Pyongyang confirmed that it would launch a rocket from its Tongchang-ribase in the country’s north-west between February 8 and 25.
Russia urges North not to escalate tensions Meanwhile in Moscow, Russia urged North Korea to avoid escalating tensions with an announced rocket launch, expressing “grave concern” over the plan.
North Korea has upgraded its launch site on the nation’s north-west coast about 50 kilometers from the Chinese border to accommodate larger rockets since it put its first satellite in orbit in 2012.
Wu held talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong, Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan and his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho during the trip, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters.
The launch declaration, which is meant to warn civilians, shipping and aircraft in the area about the rocket and falling debris, follows North Korea’s disputed claim on January 6 to have tested a hydrogen bomb, the country’s fourth nuclear test. A launch would be seen as a snub by North Korea of its only major ally, China, whose representative for Korean affairs landed in the North for talks on Tuesday. During the press conference, Lu also responded to the argument that North Korea’s announcement of another rocket launch was cause to place tougher sanctions on North Korea.
The UN has passed a series of resolutions banning North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technologies.
United States officials say the satellite could carry deadly long-range missiles into space. The second stage will fall into the waters west of the Philippines.
South Korean official Cho Tae-yang described the satellite plan as a “direct challenge to the global community”.
Japan’s Defence Minister General Nakatani ordered ballistic missile defence units including Aegis destroyers in the Sea of Japan and Patriot missile batteries onshore to be ready to shoot down any North Korean rocket that threatened Japan. Beijing fears that political turmoil could send refugees streaming across the border into northeastern China and, ultimately, see US troops occupying what it sees as a crucial buffer with South Korea, where 28,000 troops are based as a legacy of the war that ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.
Advertisement
On Tuesday and Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a joint meeting of senior officials of the North’s Workers’ Party’s Central Committee and the Korean People’s Army’s Party Committee in Pyongyang, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday.
