North Korea Set To Launch Another Satellite On October; Speculations Of A Nuclear Weapon Delivery System Testing Ignites Fears
Despite being placed under sanctions for their nuclear and missile tests, North Korea is set to launch yet another satellite on October, causing other nations to fear an impending nuclear weapon launch.
According to Foreign Minister of South Korea Yun Byung Se, next month's launch of a new satellite - speculated to commence on the 70th Anniversary of the Workers' Party of North Korea on Oct. 10 - is a missile test in disguise, reported The Strait Times on Monday. The U.S. on the other hand, believes that a nuclear launch could lead to more sanctions against the country.
However, CNN noted on Wednesday that the scientists from North Korea's satellite control center is firm on their stand that their launch is peaceful and that it is only for the sole purpose of space exploration.
"Following the instructions of Marshall Kim Jong Un we scientists here are working very hard, you can't imagine how hard, to develop in the shortest possible time, multi-functional, highly reliable Earth observation satellites," said the director of scientific development at National Aeronautical Development Association (NADA) Hyon Gwang Il. We are trying to show to the world how patriotic we are and how creative we are as scientists."
North Korea has launched a 220-pound satellite into space in December 2012, which orbits the Earth at an altitude of approximately 335 miles every 95 minutes. According to CNBC News on Monday, the giant space metal equipped with cameras, has been supposedly placed to capture images and send these back to Pyongyang. However, it has never given out a signal.
The December 2012 satellite has been launched following a failed attempt of North Korea's 30-meter-high Unha-3 rocket launch earlier that year, patterned after the Soviet Scud missile technology in the 1950s.
"Preparations for the Unha-3, and whatever new space launch vehicle they might roll out, will be observable well in advance of a launch," pointed visiting fellow at Babes-Bolyai University in Romania, Daniel Pinkston, who has also studied the political and weapons strategy of North Korea. "So it is not a system that can be used for any military objective."