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North Korea has informed Japan that it intends to launch a satellite in the near future, just months after a failed attempt in which a military satellite fell into the sea. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s office stated that Pyongyang had provided advanced notice of the launch, prompting Japan to coordinate with the United States, South Korea, and other countries in an effort to prevent it. The Japan Coast Guard has identified three designated danger areas for the launch: the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and waters east of the Philippines’ Luzon island.

North Korea’s previous attempt in May was described as its first military reconnaissance satellite, but the rocket carrying it crashed shortly after takeoff. North Korea claimed that it developed the satellite as a response to the increasing military presence of the United States in the region. In response to the upcoming launch, North Korea’s state news agency criticized the US-South Korea military drills as aggressive and warned that if these drills involved a nuclear provocation, the possibility of a thermonuclear war on the Korean peninsula would become more realistic.

The United States, South Korea, and Japan condemned North Korea’s May satellite launch as a violation of United Nations resolutions. Analysts have noted that there is significant technological overlap between the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and space launch capabilities. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has prioritized the development of a military spy satellite. South Korea’s spy agency recently informed lawmakers that Pyongyang could launch a reconnaissance satellite before early September, in time for the 75th anniversary of the regime’s founding on September 9.

The salvage operation for the parts of the fallen satellite in May took 36 days and involved naval rescue ships, mine sweepers, and deep-sea divers. The retrieved parts were analyzed by experts in South Korea and the United States, leading the South Korean defense ministry to conclude that the satellite had no military utility.

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