North Korea Announces Plans to Launch Satellite

According to the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), North Korea has announced plans to launch a satellite later this month.

The IMO says it has been notified of Pyongyang’s plans to launch a satellite between February 8 and 25.

It comes after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on January 6, drawing international condemnation.

Critics have called North Korea’s last satellite launch a cover for a test of ballistic missile technology.

Last week, US officials said that North Korea appeared to be preparing for a rocket launch, citing increased activity around the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, also known as Tongchang-ri.

North Korea last conducted a long-range rocket launch in December 2012, successfully putting into orbit an object Pyongyang claimed was a communications satellite with the three-stage Unha-3 carrier.

However, the UN Security Council subsequently said that the launch was “a clear violation” of resolutions banning North Korea from missiles tests, and imposed new sanctions.

North Korea has said its space program is peaceful, but it is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could strike the US.