North Korea Tells Japan Satellite Launch as Soon as Wednesday 

People watch a news broadcast at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 21 November 2023. (EPA)
People watch a news broadcast at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 21 November 2023. (EPA)
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North Korea Tells Japan Satellite Launch as Soon as Wednesday 

People watch a news broadcast at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 21 November 2023. (EPA)
People watch a news broadcast at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 21 November 2023. (EPA)

North Korea has issued formal notice of a satellite launch as early as Wednesday, Japan said, with Pyongyang's third attempt to put a military eye in the sky coming after it likely received technical help from Russia in exchange for arms transfers.

North Korea's previous efforts to put a spy satellite into orbit in May and August both failed, and Seoul, Tokyo and Washington have repeatedly warned Pyongyang not to proceed with another launch, which would violate successive rounds of UN resolutions.

But the North has vowed to go ahead anyway, and Seoul's spy agency this month warned the fresh attempt is likely to be more successful as Pyongyang appears to have received technical advice from Russia, in return for sending at least 10 shipments of weapons for Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Japan's coast guard on Tuesday posted a notification on its website of a launch window between November 22 and December 1, and Seoul's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries quickly issued a navigation warning for ships.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters he would "demand cancellation of the launch... and to make utmost efforts in preparing for unpredictable situations".

He added that any use of ballistic missile technology by Pyongyang would represent a breach of UN resolutions and that Japan was coordinating its response with South Korea and the United States, its partners in a trilateral defense arrangement.

North Korea has previously identified three maritime zones that could potentially be impacted by the planned launch, two in the Yellow Sea, west of the Korean Peninsula, and a third in waters east of the Philippines.

"The danger zones (identified) by North Korea this time align with the danger zones that were announced during their satellite launch plan in August," a South Korean official said, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Seoul has warned for weeks that Pyongyang was in the "final stages" of preparation for another spy satellite launch, with defense minister Shin Won-sik saying Sunday that the lift-off could take place as early as this week.

Kang Ho-pil, chief director of operations at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday that Seoul's military would take "necessary measures to guarantee the lives and safety of the people" if the launch went ahead.

Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP that Seoul was likely to take strong "countermeasures".

President Yoon Suk Yeol "is highly likely to suspend the validity of the September 19 military agreement," he said, referring to a key deal aimed at de-escalating tensions on the peninsula.

The South test-firing its own mid- to long-range solid-fuel ballistic missiles in response could also not be ruled out, he added.

Russian help

After North Korea's first two attempts to put a spy satellite into orbit both failed, Pyongyang promised to carry out a third in October, which never materialized.

The country is barred by successive rounds of UN resolutions from tests using ballistic technology, and analysts say there is significant technological overlap between space launch capabilities and the development of ballistic missiles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested in September after meeting with Kim Jong Un that his nation could help Pyongyang build satellites.

Seoul and Washington have both subsequently claimed Pyongyang has been shipping weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning this month that military ties between North Korea and Russia were "growing and dangerous".

Successfully putting a spy satellite into orbit would improve North Korea's intelligence-gathering capabilities, particularly over South Korea, and provide crucial data in any military conflict, experts say.

North Korea has conducted a record number of weapons tests this year.

Last week, it said it carried out successful ground tests of a "new type" of solid-fuel engine for its banned intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have ramped up their defense cooperation in response, and on Tuesday a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, arrived at South Korea's Busan Naval Base.

Seoul's military said the visit was to enhance the allies' "posture in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats".

"Through close cooperation between the navies of the two countries, we will be equipped with the ability and posture to win even if we fight right now," Seoul's navy said in a statement.



Iran’s Khamenei Criticizes US Proposal in Nuclear Talks but Doesn’t Reject the Idea of a Deal 

Iranians drive past a wall painting of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei (R) and late Iranian supreme leader Khomeini (L) on a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 June 2025. (EPA)
Iranians drive past a wall painting of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei (R) and late Iranian supreme leader Khomeini (L) on a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 June 2025. (EPA)
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Iran’s Khamenei Criticizes US Proposal in Nuclear Talks but Doesn’t Reject the Idea of a Deal 

Iranians drive past a wall painting of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei (R) and late Iranian supreme leader Khomeini (L) on a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 June 2025. (EPA)
Iranians drive past a wall painting of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei (R) and late Iranian supreme leader Khomeini (L) on a street in Tehran, Iran, 01 June 2025. (EPA)

Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday criticized an initial proposal from the United States in negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program, though he stopped short of entirely rejecting the idea of agreement with Washington. 

The remarks by Ali Khamenei colored in the red line expressed over recent days — one that says Tehran refuses to give up enriching uranium in any possible deal with the US. 

That demand has been repeatedly made by American officials, including President Donald Trump, though it remains unclear just how much US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff brought it up in his initial proposal to Iran. 

But what Khamenei did not say in his speech matters as well. He didn't reject the talks, which Iran views as crucial for its economy to lift some the crushing economic sanctions it faces. 

Khamenei also did not insist on any specific level of nuclear enrichment. Iran now enriches uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels. 

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has led the talks with Witkoff, said Tehran soon will offer its response to the US Khamenei's speech Wednesday at the mausoleum of Khomeini may serve as a preview. 

“If we had 100 nuclear power plants while not having enrichment, they are not usable for us,” Khamenei said. “If we do not have enrichment, then we should extend our hand (begging) to the US.” 

Khamenei touched on previous remarks The 86-year-old Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state in Iran, often balances his remarks over the demands of reformists within the country who want the talks against hard-line elements within Iran’s theocracy, including the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. 

Late in August, Khamenei in a speech opened the door to possible talks with the US, saying there is “no harm” in engaging with the “enemy.” The supreme leader later tempered that, saying that negotiations with America “are not intelligent, wise or honorable,” after Trump floated nuclear talks with Tehran. 

Khamenei's speech on Wednesday, marking the anniversary of Khomeini's death, offered an opportunity to discuss Witkoff's proposal. He described it as “100% against the idea of ‘we can,’” borrowing from an Iranian government slogan. He described the US as having long sought the dismantling of Iran’s entire nuclear industry. 

“The impolite and insolent American leaders keep repeating this demand with different wordings," Khamenei said. 

He added, using a slogan he's said before: “Those currently in power, Zionist or American, should be aware that they can’t do a damn thing about this." 

Some nuclear power nations do get uranium from outside suppliers, however. Experts long have viewed Iran as using its nuclear program as a chip in negotiations with the West to get sanctions relief. 

The details of the American proposal remain unclear after five rounds of talks between Iran and the US. 

A report by the news website Axios on the American proposal, the details of which a US official separately confirmed, include a possible nuclear consortium that would enrich uranium for Iran and surrounding nations.  

Whether Iran would have to entirely give up its enrichment program remains unclear, as Axios reported that Iran would be able to enrich uranium up to 3% purity for some time. 

A failure to get a deal could see tensions further spike in a Middle East already on edge over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. 

Iran's long-ailing economy could enter a free fall that could worsen the simmering unrest at home. Israel or the US might carry out long-threatened airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. And Tehran may decide to fully end its cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog and rush toward a bomb.