Pyongyang plans to launch satellite, Seoul and Washington to begin joint exercises

North Korea announced on Tuesday its intention to launch a satellite, just three months after a failed attempt at a similar endeavor. 

The decision has drawn condemnation from Tokyo and Seoul, along with calls to cancel the operation.

The launch is scheduled to take place between August 24 and 31, according to Pyongyang's notification to the Japanese coast guard on Tuesday.

This notification prompted Tokyo to prepare ships and activate its PAC-3 missile defense system in anticipation of the rocket potentially falling onto its territory.

Seoul stated that the launch would be an "unlawful act" as it violates United Nations sanctions that prohibit North Korea from conducting tests using ballistic technology, which is used for missile production and launch operations.

South Korea's Ministry of Unification stated in a press release, "The so-called 'launch of a North Korean satellite' is a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions... Regardless of the excuses North Korea attempts to present, it cannot justify this illegal act."

The Foreign Ministry also noted that Seoul "will respond sternly to North Korea's unauthorized provocations through close trilateral cooperation with the United States and Japan."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged Pyongyang to cancel the launch, stating that Tokyo is taking "all possible measures to prepare for any unexpected possibility."

The Japanese coast guard indicated that North Korea identified three danger zones for the launch: the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the waters off the eastern coast of the Philippines' Luzon Island.

In May, Pyongyang launched what it described as its first reconnaissance satellite, "Malgyong-1," but the rocket carrying it, "Chollyeongma-1," fell into the sea minutes after launch.

Shortly after, the Kim Jong Un regime announced its commitment to successfully launching a reconnaissance satellite "in the near future" as a necessary counterbalance to the increasing US military presence in the region.

North Korea's new launch plan comes on the heels of the commencement of major annual joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington on Monday.
The exercises, known as "Ulchi Freedom Guardian," aim to address the growing threat of nuclear-armed North Korea and will continue until August 31.

Pyongyang considers all these exercises as rehearsals for an invasion and has repeatedly warned that it will take "stringent" actions in response.

North Korean hackers targeted the exercises by launching email attacks against South Korean contractors working at the allies' joint war simulation center.

On Tuesday, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency denounced the "aggressive nature" of the joint US-South Korean maneuvers.

The agency warned in a commentary that if the exercises involve a "nuclear provocation," the possibility of a "thermal nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula would become more realistic."