Improves from one year to another and could even be threatening. The North Korean space program, initiated in the 1980s under the appearance of ambitions with the scientific and technological objective, intended to have offensive military capabilities against the United States, said researcher Takaki Yamamoto in a recent study conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSI).
Pitchers and information
North Korea’s spatial capabilities are divided into three categories: pitchers, launch infrastructure and satellites. North Korea has begun the development of pitchers with their work in the Taepodong-1 ballistic missile program in the 1990s, supposedly 5,000 km. The range has doubled with the Taepodong-2 to reach 10,000 km. The data of the pitcher Chollima-1, whose two releases, failed before being successful in orbit of a spy satellite in November 2023. It occurs as “unknown” by the Think Tank report. A new launch program would also have started.
With two launch sites, North Korea only seems to have exploded one since 2009: Tonghae, the oldest launch site (space and ballistics) located in the northwest of the country, would be “in maintenance” for 16 years. Built from the 1920s to the west and operational since 2011, the Sohae site has allowed to carry out seven launch tests, three of which have managed to place satellites in orbit, specify the CSI.
The first satellite launch test dates back to 1998. North Korea has proceeded with nine other releases since then. The last launch identified by the report, dated May 2024, was a failure. If the third satellite sent to space is presented as a spy satellite, the resolution of the images is not yet precise enough to make it a credible observation tool. The author of the report, on the other hand, indicates that North Korea is progressing in the acquisition of advanced technologies. North Korea has also changed its space law to include uses related to national defense.
Satellite launches have been qualified by the UN Security Council as a “coverage” to hide the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the UN body imposes sanctions on Pyongyang. Sanctions that North Korean administration deviates by establishing associations with other countries to continue its technological work.
North-Russia-Chine-Lan Korea axis
The international partners of North Korea are few, but, nevertheless, essential: China, Iran and Russia are in close link with the Pyongyang administration. The decisive support of Russia, and in particular from the war in Ukraine in 2022, allows North Korea to avoid the international sanctions that are subject, continue the development of its spatial abilities. Therefore, technological transfers are an established fact, recently cited by the French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu during a parliamentary hearing: “Above all, if necessary to retain a new element compared to 2022-2023, technology transfers would be from Moscow to Tehran and Pyongyang.”
The CSIS also recalls that in July 2024, the Department of the American Treasury sanctioned a network of six people and five entities based in China, involved in the acquisition of equipment for space programs and ballistic missiles of North Korea.
He recommends that “not only watch over the progress made by North Korea in the space field”, but also “to” really implement the sanctions against the acquisition of the team provided by China. “
Source: BFM TV
