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WORLD NEWSWednesday 3 February
Agency: North Korea plans satellite launch this month
HYUNG-JIN KIM A Japan Self-Defense Force member stands by a PAC-3 Patriot missile unit deployed for North about whether it can pro-
Associated Press Korea’s rocket launch at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Japan’s Defense duce nuclear bombs small
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Ministry installed missile interceptors at their headquarters in central Tokyo on Friday amid signs enough to place on a mis-
— Weeks after its fourth that North Korea may be preparing to launch a rocket or missile. sile, or missiles that can reli-
nuclear test, North Korea ably deliver their bombs to
announced plans Tuesday Associated Press faraway targets.
to launch an Earth obser-
vation satellite on a rocket Korea’s claim last month erational life. But the ITU’s the country’s first satellite North Korea has spent
later this month, in what to have tested a hydrogen U.N. representative, Gary into orbit after a string of decades trying to devel-
critics see as a covert test bomb, the country’s fourth Fowlie, said not enough failures. The North also told op operational nuclear
of banned technology for nuclear test. It will be seen technical information had international agencies be- weapons. It calls its rocket
a ballistic missile that could as a snub by North Korea been supplied to register fore that launch of its plans. launches satellite missions,
strike the U.S. mainland. of its only major ally, Chi- the planned launch in its Each new rocket launch but the U.N., the United
An official at the London- na, whose representative Master International Fre- improves North Korea’s States, South Korea and
based International Mari- for Korean affairs landed quency Register. missile technology, which others say they are meant
time Organization said in Pyongyang for talks on A South Korean official, is crucial for its goal of de- to test ballistic missile tech-
North Korea declared that Tuesday. who spoke on condition veloping a nuclear-armed nology. The U.N. Security
the launch would be con- of anonymity because of missile capable of hitting Council prohibits North Ko-
ducted between Feb. 8 The International Telecom- office rules, said Seoul was the U.S. mainland. rea from nuclear and bal-
and 25, between 7 a.m. munication Union said also informed of the plans, listic missile activity.
and noon Pyongyang time. North Korea also informed and estimated that the first North Korea, an autocra- The North’s Jan. 6 nuclear
The official spoke on condi- its Geneva office of its in- stage of the rocket would cy run by the same family test has led to another push
tion of anonymity because tention to launch a Kwang- fall off the west coast of since 1948, is estimated to in the U.N. to tighten sanc-
she hadn’t been autho- myongsong (Bright Star) South Korea, more debris have a handful of crude tions, something that fol-
rized to speak publicly yet. -type Earth observation sat- would land near the South’s nuclear devices and an lowed North Korea’s 2012
U.N. deputy spokesman ellite with a four-year op- Jeju Island, and the second impressive array of short- rocket launch and its 2013
Farhan Haq said North Ko- stage would land off the and medium-range mis- third nuclear test. The North
rea also informed the In- Philippines’ east coast. siles, but it closely guards followed that test with an
ternational Civil Aviation North Korea’s last long- details about its nuclear escalating campaign of
Organization and the Inter- range rocket launch, in and missile programs. This bombast that included
national Telecommunica- December 2012, was seen means there is consider- threats to fire nuclear mis-
tion Union of the planned as having successfully put able debate by outsiders siles at the United States
satellite launch. and South Korea.
“Right now, we’re carefully North Korea has said that
monitoring developments plutonium and highly en-
and are in close touch with riched uranium facilities at
the interested parties and its main Nyongbyon nucle-
the international organi- ar complex are in opera-
zations,” Haq said at U.N. tion and that its scientists
headquarters in New York. have improved “the levels
The declaration, which is of nuclear weapons with
meant to warn civilians, various missions in quality
shipping and aircraft in the and quantity.”
area about the rocket and But just what is happening
falling debris, follows North at Nyongbyon is unclear.
North Korea booted out
international inspectors in
2009, and independent
assessments by outside ex-
perts since then have been
spotty.q
