Have the Satellites North Korea Claimed to Succeed Been Verified?

Declaration of Satellite Development Preparation Starting from Next Year's Taeyangjeol... Satellite Technology Launched So Far Not Confirmed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Interest is growing in North Korea's reconnaissance satellite technology as the North Korean National Aerospace Development Administration announced the development of reconnaissance satellites.

North Korea has set the development timeline for reconnaissance satellites to April next year, seemingly keeping in mind the birthday of Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of Chairman Kim Jong-un (April 15, known as the Day of the Sun). If they succeed in launching a satellite on the Day of the Sun, it is expected that they will stage a grand celebratory event and actively promote the narrative of becoming a satellite power.

North Korea first claimed to have launched a satellite in August 1998, when it launched Kwangmyongsong-1. In April 2009, it launched Kwangmyongsong-2. However, both attempts failed. Later, on April 13, 2012, ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Day of the Sun, North Korea launched Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 1 aboard the long-range rocket Unha-3, but the rocket exploded as the first and second stages failed to separate, resulting in another failure.

On December 12, 2012, North Korea launched Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2. Both North Korea and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed that it entered orbit. On the 10th anniversary of the launch of Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2, North Korea praised the successful first orbital insertion of its satellite as an achievement of Chairman Kim Jong-un. Furthermore, on February 7, 2016, North Korea claimed to have successfully placed the Earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong-4 into orbit, declaring itself to have officially joined the ranks of space powers.

The problem is that no one can verify whether the satellite launches were truly successful, as North Korea claims. It has not been confirmed for years whether Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2 and Kwangmyongsong-4, which North Korea boasts have entered orbit, are functioning normally. Unless North Korea shares satellite frequencies with other countries, it is difficult to track the satellites and verify their operational status. Because of this, some suspect that North Korean authorities might be conducting ICBM technology tests under the pretext of satellite launches.

If North Korea launches reconnaissance satellites next year, there is also interest in whether it will notify international organizations of its 'artificial satellite' launch plans. When North Korea launched Kwangmyongsong-4 in 2016, it notified the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of its plan to launch a satellite-carrying rocket and launched it five days later. The reason for notifying the launch plan was to emphasize that the launch was conducted for the purpose of securing satellites under the 'right to peaceful space development.' However, the international community is expected to view this as having the capability to strike the U.S. mainland and impose additional sanctions on North Korea for violating UN sanctions resolutions.

Professor Bang Hyo-chung of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said, "Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2 and others are tracked by NORAD and registered as space objects. Although North Korea has not released satellite images, there could be various reasons for this, including a desire to keep its detection and observation capabilities undisclosed to the outside."

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