SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea said it conducted “another important” test for reconnaissance satellite systems, state news agency KCNA reported on March 6, a day after regional military authorities reported the launch of a ballistic missile from the country for the second time in a week.
The launch drew condemnation from governments in the United States, South Korea, and Japan, which warn that the rogue regime is preparing to conduct a major weapons test within months. They see the North’s satellite launches as thinly veiled tests of ballistic missile technology banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions.
According to KCNA, the test was conducted “under the plan of developing a reconnaissance satellite.”
It was the second such launch in a week to test satellite equipment, and the ninth missile launch this year.
Like the last test on Feb. 27, KCNA didn’t elaborate on the type of rocket used in the launch; officials in South Korea said it appeared to be a ballistic missile fired from an area near Pyongyang where its international airport is located.
South Korea’s military said the North Korean missile reached a height of about 560 km (350 miles) and flew 270 km (170 miles).
Amid stalled denuclearization talks, North Korea conducted a record number of weapons launches in January, and has suggested it could resume testing nuclear weapons or its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since 2017.
The test occurred just days ahead of the March 9 presidential election in South Korea; its officials say North Korea may attempt to launch a spy satellite into orbit in the near future.
“Any satellite launch would bring serious repercussions, as it’s the same technology used to launch an ICBM,” Lee Jong-seok, the top foreign policy advisor to ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung, told Reuters.
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