North Korea Launches Military Spy Satellite Towards South, Defying Warnings
North Korea has launched what it claims is a military spy satellite, headed south, South Korea’s military said on Tuesday. This announcement comes hours after Japan confirmed that Pyongyang had warned of an imminent launch.
“North Korea has launched what it claims is a military surveillance satellite in the direction of the south,” said South Korea’s chief of staff.
The launch defies repeated warnings from South Korea and several UN resolutions. This is the third attempt this year by North Korea to put a spy satellite into orbit, with the previous two attempts in May and August failing.
After the second failed attempt, North Korea announced it intended to try again in October, something that did not happen. Throughout the year, Pyongyang has carried out a record number of weapons tests, further increasing tensions in its relationships with South Korea and its allies, the United States and Japan.