hankyoreh

By Park Byung-soo, senior staff writer　

North Korea is going ahead with preparations for its scheduled satellite launch despite objections from the international community.

A South Korean government official said Thursday that while no unusual signs had yet been detected, assembly work on the first and second stage rockets and satellite was believed to be moving along following the transport of parts to the launch site in North Korea’s Dongchang-ri, located 70km north of Youngbyun nuclear facilities and 200km from Pyongyang missile factory.

This means that despite the absence of specifically observed activity, North Korea appears to be going through the procedures for its announced launch between Apr. 12 and 16.

The process for the satellite launch is expected to involve the transportation of parts to the launch site, followed by the assembly of the booster, positioning on the launch pad, liquid fueling, and launch, in that order. The South Korean government’s position is that once fueling has taken place, the launch is certain to take place. Due to the severe oxidation danger of the rocket fuel, it cannot be reused once injected.

In the case of the Apr. 2009 launch, fueling began four to five days in advance. This time, observers are suggesting that improved launch technology will mean a shorter schedule. Fueling took place over three to four days for the Kwangmyongsong-2 launch in 2009, compared to roughly one week for a 2006 launch.

Pyongyang is also working to gain international approval of its launch, providing general data for the satellite Wednesday and reaffirming that it plans to allow outside experts to observe.

Regarding North Korea’s announcement that the Kwangmyongsong-3 would weigh 100 kilograms, Korea Aerospace Research Institute researcher Chae Yeon-seok said this was a small satellite equal in weight to the Naro scientific satellite that South Korea attempted to launch in 2010.

“In announcing that it is installing a camera on the Kwangmyongsong-3, North Korea appears to be trying to receive satellite pictures in order to prove that this is a satellite launch, not a missile,” Chae said.

Meanwhile, US State Department Asia-Pacific spokesperson Darragh Paradiso said the US would not be sending any team of observers after North Korea‘s invitation, Radio Free Asia reported.

Calling the North Korean missile launch a violation of a United Nations Security Resolution, Paradiso said that other nations should refrain from sending teams.

International Atomic Energy Association general secretary Amano Yukiya has said that North Korea’s announcement of the rocket launch will have some effect on whether or not inspectors are sent to the country, but details are not known as of yet. One South Korean official said, “negotiations between IAEA and North Korea are ongoing but have not yet come to any known conclusions.”

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