North Korea Launches Satellite, Triggering Evacuation Alerts in South Korea, Japan
This satellite picture shows the Sohae Satellite Launching Station near Tongchang-ri, North Korea. Photo: Planet Labs/Associated Press By Dasl Yoon May 30, 2023 6:49 pm ET SEOUL—North Korea fired an apparent spy satellite into space, Seoul and Tokyo’s military said, triggering emergency alerts in South Korea and Japan. The Wednesday launch spurred early-morning confusion in the South Korean capital of Seoul—a city of roughly 10 million people—as air-raid sirens blared and residents received an emergency text recommending people to prepare for a potential evacuation. South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety later said that guidance had been a false alert. Seoul’s military said that Pyongyang had fired a “space-launch vehicle” from the North’s Tongchang-ri area around 6:29
This satellite picture shows the Sohae Satellite Launching Station near Tongchang-ri, North Korea.
Photo: Planet Labs/Associated Press
By
SEOUL—North Korea fired an apparent spy satellite into space, Seoul and Tokyo’s military said, triggering emergency alerts in South Korea and Japan.
The Wednesday launch spurred early-morning confusion in the South Korean capital of Seoul—a city of roughly 10 million people—as air-raid sirens blared and residents received an emergency text recommending people to prepare for a potential evacuation. South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety later said that guidance had been a false alert.
Seoul’s military said that Pyongyang had fired a “space-launch vehicle” from the North’s Tongchang-ri area around 6:29 a.m. toward the south. The military didn’t immediately provide details on how far the rocket flew.
The South Korean government did maintain a warning for citizens near Baekryeong island, the western most of five South Korea-controlled islands near the inter-Korean maritime border. The space vehicle flew over western seas near the island, Seoul’s military said. Japanese authorities issued evacuation warnings in Okinawa, initially characterizing North Korea’s launch as a missile test.
North Korea had signaled its first military-reconnaissance satellite would be launched in June. But Pyongyang had told the Japanese government and the International Maritime Organization that a launch could occur between May 31 and June 11.
In recent days, the U.S., South Korea and Japan have said North Korea would face a firm response for its satellite launch. The United Nations Security Council bans Pyongyang’s satellite launches, which overlap with long-range missile technology. Japan’s defense minister ordered the military to prepare destructive measures against any missile debris that could fall in Japanese territory.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said spy-satellite technology was needed to monitor the U.S. and its allies’ military activities.
Write to Dasl Yoon at [email protected]
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