North Korea’s missile tests as a defense strategy: a joint standoff between the United States and South Korea, as seen by the Central News Agency

“We would like to ask them if they can handle the consequences of their reckless war gambles that are being staged by the armed forces of North Korea”, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.

North Korea claims that its testing activities are meant to respond to the military exercises taking place between the US and South Korea. U.S. and South Korean officials say their drills are defensive and they’ve bolstered them to cope with growing nuclear threats by North Korea.

During his visit to the country’s aerospace agency earlier this month, Kim emphasized the strategic significance a spy satellite could have in North Korea’s standoff with the United States and South Korea.

Ri Pyong Chol, a top North Korean official and close associate of leader Kim Jong Un, had said on Tuesday that North Korea was compelled to secure “a reliable reconnaissance and information” system because of what it said were escalating security threats by the United States and its allies. He said the North would launch a satellite in June.

The Prime Minister of Japan instructed his officials to gather and analyze information related to the launch, according to his office.

The United States has major military bases in Japan and Matsuno said it was possible that the satellite would pass above them.

The Japanese government activated a missile warning system for its Okinawa prefecture in southwestern Japan, believed to be in the path of the rocket, which North Korea said was carrying a satellite.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the launch would violate U.N. resolutions and was a “threat to the peace and safety of Japan, the region and the international community.”

Japan’s coast guard issued a safety warning to ships in the area because of the risk of falling debris. Japan’s coast guard coordinates and distributes maritime safety information in East Asia, which is likely the reason it was the recipient of North Korea’s notice.

The North Korean government informed Japan on Monday of its plans to launch a satellite in the next few days.

Denuclearization talks with the U.S. have been stalled since early 2019. In the meantime, Kim has focused on expanding his nuclear and missile arsenals in what experts say is an attempt to wrest concessions from Washington and Seoul. Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has conducted more than 100 missile tests, many of them involving nuclear-capable weapons targeting the U.S. mainland, South Korea and Japan.

Seoul’s Launch of a Rocket Launching Satellite into the Tongchang-Ri Region of South Korea, as Perported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff

He said those surveillance assets are tasked with “tracking, monitoring, discriminating, controlling” and responding, both in advance and real time, to moves by the United States and its allies.

Following the launch, the South Korean capital of Seoul issued alerts over public speakers and cellphone text messages telling residents to prepare for evacuation. There were no reports of damages or significant disruption after the alert was lifted.

South Korea’s military was trying to confirm whether the launch was successful, according to the statement, which also noted that South Korea has bolstered its military readiness in close coordination with the United States.

The rocket was launched about 6:30 a.m. from the North’s northwestern Tongchang-ri area, where the country’s main space launch center is located, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.