North Korea, which launched a reconnaissance satellite into orbit at the end of last year, has announced plans to launch several more satellites this year. South Korea is also preparing to launch a satellite this month, setting up a competition between the two nations in outer space.
On April 1, North Korean state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that they had a meeting with Park Kyung-soo, the Deputy Director of the National Aerospace Development Administration, on March 31. During the meeting, Park reportedly stated, “The successful launch of the Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite last year marked a significant advancement in national defense, and we foresee the launch of multiple reconnaissance satellites this year.”
Previously, on November 22 of last year, the media reported, “The National Aerospace Development Administration successfully launched the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 from the West Sea Satellite Launch Site in Pyonganbuk-do, Cholsan County, at 10:42:28 on November 21, 2023.”
Securing reconnaissance satellites was one of the military tasks North Korea set forth at its 8th Party Congress in 2021. At the time, North Korea mentioned military reconnaissance satellites, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), nuclear submarines, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.
Park praised the National Aerospace Development Administration, founded on April 1, 2013, by our party and the government’s space development policy, for “steadfastly leading the country’s space conquest activities over the past decade.”
He stated, “During this period, artificial earth satellites’ multifunctionality and high performance were realized, and many technical problems related to satellite control and operation were solved in our way. Projects to introduce applied technology for defense construction, economic construction, and improving people’s lives have been actively promoted.”
Park added, “The government aims to establish a space power by expanding the results of implementing advanced and valuable space development plans from a strategic national interest perspective. We are actively promoting projects to introduce space science and technology achievements in various sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, meteorological observation, communication, resource exploration, land management, and disaster prevention, in line with our goal of securing practical weather observation satellites, earth observation satellites, and communication satellites.”
He concluded, “We must remember that space industrialization is a key element in paving the way to secure the status of a global economic, scientific, and technological power and a demonstration of comprehensive national power. We will continue accelerating our independent space development and building a space power.”
Regarding North Korea’s plan to launch reconnaissance satellites, Lee Sung-Jun, the director of public affairs for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated at a regular Ministry of National Defense briefing on April 1, “There are no imminent signs of a reconnaissance satellite launch at the Dongchang-ri launch site.”
Koo Byung Sam, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, pointed out at a regular briefing on the same day, “Regardless of the purpose of the satellite North Korea claims, any satellite using ballistic missile technology is a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a provocative act threatening peace and security in the region.”
However, South Korea’s satellite will be launched before North Korea’s additional reconnaissance satellite. On March 25, Jeon Ha-gyu, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said regarding the reconnaissance satellite launch schedule, “We are in final discussions with the cooperative company or the U.S. company in charge of the launch. It could be in early April, but we will let you know when the date is definitively set.”
Last December, the government launched the first reconnaissance satellite from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, using Space X’s Falcon 9. The second one is also being prepared for launch by the same company, but the launch site is said to be an Air Force base in Florida, not California.
Meanwhile, the government believes that North Korea, which launched the Malligyong-1 in November last year, is orbiting but not providing any photos or videos for reconnaissance. On February 26, Shin Won-sik, the Minister of National Defense, evaluated the Malligyong-1 at a press conference, saying, “It’s just orbiting without doing anything.”
However, it appears that North Korea controls the satellites. On February 28 (local time), Reuters reported that Marco Langbroek, a satellite expert at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, cited data from the U.S. Space Command’s Joint Space Operations Center, analyzing that the Malligyong-1 operated to increase its perigee from 488km to 497km between February 19 and 21.
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