According to the South Korean intelligence service, Moscow has assisted North Korea in its attempt to launch a military spy satellite, as reported by the German news website n-tv.de.
Following the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September, North Korea provided Moscow with data on the first two failed satellite launches, according to the intelligence service. Russia analyzed this data and subsequently provided feedback to North Korea.
After two failed attempts, North Korea successfully launched a spy satellite into space on Tuesday, according to state media, as reported by the German news website n-tv.de. The North Korean military announced that a rocket was launched to place a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit. The launch occurred a day earlier than expected. Previously, North Korea had informed Japan that a satellite launch was planned between Wednesday and December 1. The Japanese government announced on Tuesday that it would coordinate with partner countries to urge North Korea to refrain from the launch.
The US government strongly condemned the rocket launch. The White House stated that the space launch used technologies directly related to North Korea’s program for ballistic intercontinental missiles. North Korea was urged to immediately cease its ‘provocative actions’.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin (2019-04-25), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Image size changed)
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