Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) told UN agencies on February 2 it plans to launch a satellite as early as next week, a move that could advance the country's long-range missile technology after its fourth nuclear test on January 6.
News of the planned launch between February 8 and February 25 drew fresh US calls for tougher UN sanctions already under discussion in response to the DPRK's nuclear test.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United Nations needed to "send the DPRK's people a swift, firm message."
Pyongyang has said it has a sovereign right to pursue a space program by launching rockets, although the United States and other governments worry that such launches are missile tests in disguise.
"We have received information from DPRK regarding the launch of earth observation satellite 'Kwangmyongsong' between 8-25 February," a spokeswoman for the International Maritime Organization, a UN agency, told Reuters by email.
The International Telecommunication Union, another UN agency, told Reuters the DPRK had informed it on February 2 of plans to launch a satellite with a functional duration of four years, in a non-geostationary orbit.
It said the information provided by the DPRK was incomplete, and that it was seeking more details.
US officials said last week that the DPRK was believed to be making preparations for a test launch of a long-range rocket, after activity at its test site was observed by satellite.
The White House said on February 2 that any satellite launch by the DPRK would be viewed as "another destabilizing provocation." US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, the senior US diplomat for East Asia, told reporters it "argues even more strongly" for tougher UN sanctions.
Reuters
