North Korea’s May 2024 satellite launch failed, despite three planned launches, while intelligence reports indicate partial reopening of Kaesong Industrial Complex for daily goods
SEOUL
North Korea appears fully prepared to conduct its seventh nuclear test once leader Kim Jong-un gives the order, according to South Korea’s Defence Intelligence Agency.
Lawmakers briefed after a closed-door session said that the test could be carried out quickly using the No. 3 tunnel at the Punggye-ri site. Pyongyang last conducted a nuclear test in 2017.
Officials said North Korea has been intensifying efforts to produce nuclear materials and develop new warhead manufacturing facilities. Intelligence assessments also indicate that Pyongyang is preparing to launch another military spy satellite, potentially with Russian technological support. The planned satellite is expected to offer sharper imaging capabilities than its previous model, Malligyong-1, which was launched in November 2023.
Although the North had pledged to launch three more satellites in 2024, its May 2024 attempt ended in failure when a rocket exploded shortly after liftoff. Separately, intelligence reports suggest North Korea has partially reopened the long-shuttered Kaesong Industrial Complex to produce daily-use goods.
In another development, the North fired about 10 artillery shells earlier this week as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The shells were launched into waters off the northern Yellow Sea, coinciding with the high-profile border visit.
Additional rocket fire was reported two days earlier, coinciding with summit talks between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed it is closely monitoring all of North Korea’s actions, maintaining readiness to respond to any threat under the joint South Korea-US defence framework.
