North Korea says it tested cameras for spy satellite

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Monday it tested cameras to be installed on a spy satellite, a suggestion that it’ll likely soon conduct a banned long-range rocket launch to modernize its weapons arsenal and apply more pressure on the Biden administration.

The United Nations and others view a satellite launch by North Korea as a cover for tests of missile technology, as ballistic missiles and rockets in satellite liftoffs share similar bodies, engines and other technology. Concerns about a North Korean satellite launch flared after it recently threatened to lift a four-year moratorium on big weapons tests to cope with what it called U.S. hostility.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Sunday’s test involved cameras for a reconnaissance satellite conducting vertical and oblique photography of a specific area of Earth. It said the test “is of great significance in developing the reconnaissance satellite” and released photos of the Korean Peninsula that appeared to be taken from space.

North Korea didn’t directly acknowledge any missile launch, but the KCNA statement suggests North Korea fired a rocket or a missile to take space-based photos. U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials said Sunday they detected a new ballistic missile launch by North Korea, the eighth of its kind this year.

Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, said the photos were likely taken when the missile was soaring or reached its apogee. But Lee said he couldn’t verify the quality of the North Korean cameras because it didn’t release higher-resolution satellite images.

After repeated failures, North Korea successfully put its first satellite into orbit in 2012 and second one in 2016. North Korea says both are Earth observation satellites launched under its peaceful space development program.

Lee said North Korea developed both satellites to spy on its rivals. He said the second satellite is said to be still in obit but there is no evidence that it has relayed any imagery back to North Korea.

Experts say the North’s past satellite launches have still improved its missile programs. In 2017, North Korea performed three intercontinental ballistic missile tests that demonstrated its potential ability to attack the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons.

A spy satellite is among an array of sophisticated weapons systems that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed last year to develop under five-year military buildup plans. It remains unclear whether North Korea has developed or secured sufficient levels of cameras to be put on a satellite and enable it to monitor South Korean and U.S. military activities.

Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said the North is expected to launch a rocket carrying a spy satellite ahead of a major political anniversary in April, the birthday of state founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of Kim Jong Un.

He suggested that Washington’s strained ties with Moscow and Beijing — both veto-wielding powers at the U.N. Security Council — would make it difficult for the U.N. to slap additional sanctions on North Korea over the satellite launch. He said tensions would still deepen as the United States would strengthen military drills with South Korea — which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal — in response.

In January, North Korea test-launched a variety of missiles including one capable of reaching the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam and hinted at restarting suspended long-range and nuclear tests. The North Korean moves were seen as a bid to prefect its weapons technology while pressuring the Biden administration to offer concessions like sanctions relief and increasing its leverage in future negotiations with Washington.

Some experts say North Korea may also view the U.S. preoccupation with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a chance to accelerate testing activity without receiving any serious response from Washington.

According to the Japanese assessment, the North Korean missile fired Sunday few about 300 kilometers (190 miles) at a maximum altitude of about 600 kilometers before landing off North Korea’s eastern coast.

Lee said the North needs a much more powerful rocket to put a functioning spy satellite into orbit.

After Sunday’s launch, Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, held calls with senior South Korean and Japanese diplomats. He underscored America’s readiness to engage in serious diplomacy with North Korea while reaffirming “ironclad U.S. commitment to the defense of” South Korea and Japan, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

韩国首尔——朝鲜周一表示，已测试将安装在间谍卫星上的摄像头，这表明朝鲜可能很快将进行被禁的远程火箭发射，以实现武器库现代化，并向拜登政府施加更大压力。

联合国和其他机构认为，朝鲜发射卫星是为了掩盖其导弹技术试验，因为弹道导弹和卫星发射所用的火箭在结构、发动机和其他技术方面都非常相似。此前，朝鲜威胁要解除长达四年的大型武器试验禁令，以应对其所谓的美国敌对行为，此举加剧了人们对朝鲜卫星发射的担忧。

朝鲜官方通讯社朝中社周日报道称，此次测试使用了侦察卫星上的相机，对地球特定区域进行了垂直和倾斜拍摄。朝中社称，此次测试“对侦察卫星的研发具有重要意义”，并公布了疑似从太空拍摄的朝鲜半岛照片。

朝鲜方面并未直接承认发射导弹，但朝中社的声明暗示朝鲜发射了一枚火箭或导弹，目的是拍摄太空照片。美国、韩国和日本官员周日表示，他们探测到朝鲜进行了一次新的弹道导弹发射，这是朝鲜今年进行的第八次此类发射。

韩国科学技术政策研究院名誉研究员李春根表示，这些照片很可能是在导弹飞行过程中或到达最高点时拍摄的。但李春根也表示，由于朝鲜没有公布更高分辨率的卫星图像，他无法验证朝鲜相机拍摄的照片质量。

在多次失败后，朝鲜于 2012 年成功将第一颗卫星送入轨道，并于 2016 年成功将第二颗卫星送入轨道。朝鲜称这两颗卫星都是地球观测卫星，是根据其和平利用太空计划发射的。

李表示，朝鲜研制这两颗卫星是为了监视其对手。他说，第二颗卫星据称仍在轨道上运行，但没有证据表明它已向朝鲜传回任何图像。

专家表示，朝鲜过去的卫星发射活动仍然提升了其导弹计划的能力。2017年，朝鲜进行了三次洲际弹道导弹试验，展示了其使用核武器攻击美国本土的潜在能力。

间谍卫星是朝鲜领导人金正恩去年承诺在五年军事建设计划中研发的一系列先进武器系统之一。目前尚不清楚朝鲜是否已经研发或获得了足够数量的摄像头，可以安装在卫星上并用于监视韩国和美国的军事活动。

韩国私立世宗研究所的郑成昌表示，朝鲜预计将在4月一个重要的政治纪念日——朝鲜建国者金日成（金正恩的祖父）的诞辰——之前发射一枚携带间谍卫星的火箭。

他指出，华盛顿与莫斯科和北京（均为联合国安理会常任理事国，拥有否决权）之间紧张的关系，将使联合国难以就朝鲜卫星发射事件对朝鲜实施额外制裁。他还表示，作为回应，美国将加强与韩国的联合军事演习——朝鲜认为这是入侵演习——这将进一步加剧紧张局势。

今年1月，朝鲜试射了多种导弹，其中包括一枚射程可达美国太平洋属地关岛的导弹，并暗示将重启此前暂停的远程导弹和核试验。朝鲜此举被视为旨在完善其武器技术，同时向拜登政府施压，要求其做出让步，例如解除制裁，并增加其在未来与华盛顿谈判中的筹码。

一些专家表示，朝鲜可能还将美国将注意力集中在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰上视为加速核试验活动的机会，而不会收到华盛顿的任何严肃回应。

据日本方面评估，朝鲜周日发射的导弹飞行了约 300 公里（190 英里），最大飞行高度约为 600 公里，最终落在朝鲜东海岸附近。

李说，朝鲜需要威力更大的火箭才能将一颗功能齐全的间谍卫星送入轨道。

周日发射仪式后，美国朝鲜问题特别代表金成分别与韩国和日本高级外交官通了电话。国务院发言人内德·普莱斯表示，金成强调美国愿与朝鲜开展严肃的外交对话，同时重申美国对韩国和日本“坚定不移的防务承诺”。