High-ranking diplomats from Japan, the United States and South Korea, who are responsible for issues related to the DPRK, held telephone conversations on Tuesday in connection with North Korea’s intention to launch a military spy satellite and called on Pyongyang to abandon the launch, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
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US Deputy Special Representative for the DPRK Chong Pak, South Korean Foreign Ministry Special Representative for Peace and Security on the Korean Peninsula Kim Gon and Head of the Department of Asian and Oceanic Affairs of the Japanese Foreign Ministry Hiroyuki Namazu held telephone conversations in connection with Pyongyang’s notification of its intention to launch a military spy satellite from 22 November to December 1.
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“The parties confirmed that North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile, even if the purpose is to launch a satellite, is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting North Korea from launching ballistic missile technology, and strongly called on North Korea to stop it,” the statement said.
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In addition, the parties confirmed close cooperation in a bilateral and trilateral format to ensure the security of the region.
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Earlier, Japan’s maritime security service said it had received notification from North Korea that it would launch a launch vehicle with a satellite between November 22 and December 1. In particular, the service’s website posted a message about the need to observe safety measures in the specified areas of the “Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the eastern part of Luzon in connection with the launch of the satellite from 00:00 hours on November 22 to 00:00 hours on December 1.”
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The missile fragments are expected to fall outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone at two points southwest of North Korea in the Yellow Sea and east of the Philippines.
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North Korea attempted to launch a spy satellite on May 31 and August 24. In both cases, the launch took place on the first day of the warning, but also in both cases it ended in failure. During its launch in August, the rocket flew over Japan’s southernmost prefecture, Okinawa.
