North Korea Notifies Neighboring Japan It Plans To Launch Satellite In Coming Days

"To launch a satellite into space, North Korea would have to use long-range missile technology banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions. Its past launches of Earth observation satellites were seen as disguised missile tests.

In a three-way telephone conversation later Monday, the chief nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to cooperate in a unified, resolute response to a satellite launch. They strongly urged North Korea to refrain from what they termed “an illegal launch” that would threaten regional peace, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry. Japan issued a similar statement.