North Korea "Conducts Important Reconnaissance Satellite Test," Moratorium Withdrawal and Presidential Candidate Voter Sentiment Variable

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] North Korea announced on the 27th that the launch of a medium-range ballistic missile the previous day was an important test for the development of a reconnaissance satellite.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

There is an analysis that this brings North Korea one step closer to withdrawing the moratorium on nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches. With only 9 days left until the presidential election, the foreign and security strategies of each camp are expected to become a variable that influences voter sentiment.

On the 28th, the Korean Central News Agency reported, "The National Aerospace Development Administration and the Academy of Defense Science conducted an important test according to the process plan for developing a reconnaissance satellite," adding, "They carried out vertical and oblique photography of specific ground areas using cameras to be mounted on the reconnaissance satellite."

Based on the announcement, it is observed that North Korea conducted a test attaching reconnaissance cameras intended for the reconnaissance satellite to a medium-range ballistic rocket to photograph the ground. North Korea also released related photos taken from space of the Korean Peninsula.

This test launch is evaluated as a stepping stone to launching an ICBM, as it serves as a justification for launching a long-range rocket to deploy a reconnaissance satellite.

This is because the technology for long-range rockets and ICBMs is almost identical.

Accordingly, experts interpret North Korea’s reconnaissance satellite development process as a step to demonstrate in actual action the indication of withdrawing the moratorium on nuclear tests and ICBM launches.

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said, "North Korea has claimed that artificial satellites and ICBMs are the same inside and out," adding, "This appears to be a pre-stage to lifting the moratorium, intended to pressure the United States."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.