(4th LD) S. Korea calls on N. Korea to withdraw plan to launch satellite

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SEOUL, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry on Tuesday called on North Korea to abandon its plan to launch a satellite, as the North reportedly notified Japan of its plan to put a satellite into orbit in the coming days.

According to Japan's Kyodo News, the North has informed Japan's coast guard of its plan to launch a satellite and designate three maritime danger zones -- two of which are west of the Korean Peninsula and the other to the east of the Philippines' island of Luzon -- between Thursday and Aug. 31.

Pyongyang launched its first military spy satellite, the Malligyong-1, mounted on a new type of rocket named the Chollima-1, on May 31. But the rocket crashed into the Yellow Sea after an "abnormal starting" of the second-stage engine, according to the North's state media.

"We deeply regret that despite repeated warnings from the international community, North Korea has once again announced its intention to conduct the launch. We urge them to immediately withdraw the plan," Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson of Seoul's foreign ministry, told a regular briefing.

Lim also stressed that the North's satellite launch "constitutes a clear violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit any launches utilizing ballistic missile technology."

Seoul's unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs also voiced "strong" regret over the North's plan.

"A satellite launch by the North is a blatant illegal act that flatly violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban any launches using ballistic missile technology. Pyongyang cannot justify it with any excuse," a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

He said the government will sternly deal with the North's illegal provocative acts, based on close three-way coordination among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.

According to the ministry, North Korea has also given prior notice to the International Maritime Organization, the U.N. maritime safety agency, over its satellite launch plan.

This file photo provided by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on June 1, 2023, shows the launch of the North's new Chollima-1 rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite, the Malligyong-1, from Tongchang-ri on the North's west coast the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

In response to the launch plan, Seoul and Washington appeared to have stepped up their monitoring activities.

The South Korean Navy has sent an Aegis-equipped destroyer to the Yellow Sea, a military source said. The U.S. flew an RC-135V Rivet Joint reconnaissance plane over the Korean Peninsula earlier in the day, according to a news report citing multiple flight trackers.

South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers last week that Pyongyang could launch a reconnaissance satellite in late August or early September, ahead of the 75th anniversary of the regime's founding on Sept. 9.

The launch window overlaps the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise between South Korea and the United States that began its 11-day run Monday. The North has long denounced Seoul-Washington joint military drills as a rehearsal for an invasion.

"With a satellite launch, the North appears to want to celebrate its founding anniversary internally," said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies.

North Korea also seems to want to make the latest trilateral summit agreement among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo futile and flex its military muscle against the UFS exercise, he added.

The leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held a trilateral summit at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland on Friday and agreed to cooperate closely for stronger missile defense against North Korea.

A military spy satellite is among the high-tech weapons that the North has vowed to develop, along with solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles and a nuclear-powered submarine.

The South Korean military said in July that the North's spy satellite has "no military utility" after retrieving its wreckage from the Yellow Sea.

Experts said a spy satellite will help the North stage a precision strike against targets in war situations, as it will improve the country's surveillance, but many still have doubts about the North's satellite capabilities.

This file photo, captured from footage of the state-run Korean Central Television on June 19, 2023, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presiding over an enlarged plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

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