Japan says North Korea’s plan to launch a satellite into orbit within the next two weeks would be a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions over the North’s previous missile tests.
Pyongyang notified the Japanese coast guard Monday that it plans to launch the satellite sometime between May 31 and June 11. The notification comes just weeks after North Korea’s state-run media said leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for the launch.
North Korea would have to send a satellite into orbit using a long-range ballistic missile, which has been banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Japanese officials say the satellite is expected to fly over the country’s southwestern islands as it did in 2016, when North Korea placed an Earth observation satellite into orbit. The defense ministry has ordered its land and sea-based ballistic missile interceptor units to shoot down any object that appears to threaten its territory.
The office of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he has ordered his government to collect and analyze any information from the launch.
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South Korea’s foreign ministry warned North Korea against the launch in a statement Monday, saying the reclusive regime will pay “due prices” if it follows through with the launch.
