Sneaky Kim Jong-un is plotting to launch new satellite rocket which neighbours fear will be a ‘nuke in disguise’
SNEAKY Kim Jong-un is plotting to launch a new satellite that observers fear will be a "Trojan horse" for a secret nuclear missile test.
North Korea has been heavily sanctioned by the UN over its recent launches and is currently banned from any weapons tests using ballistic missile technology.
The rogue regime has described the hardline international crackdown as an “act of war” that’s been “rigged up the US.”
However Kim's neighbours have now learned the despot thinks he has found a way to cheat the weapons clampdown.
“Through various channels, we've recently learned that the North has completed a new satellite and named it Kwangmyongsong-5,” a South Korean government source revealed.
It's believed the communist regime’s plan is to launch a satellite with cameras and telecommunication devices into orbit.
However, scientists believe he will use the launch to test new launch technology which can be transferred to his controversial nuclear weapons programme.
Pyongyang launched its Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite in February 2016, which much of the international community viewed as a disguised ballistic missile test.
A spokesman for the South Korean military reportedly said although there was “nothing out of ordinary at this moment” it's watching out for any provocative acts “including the test of a long-range missile disguised as a satellite launch.”
North Korea is believed to have successfully put a into orbit in December 2012 after years of failures dating back to 1998.
Tensions between the United States and North Korea have soared as the isolated regime has continued to test atomic and intercontinental ballistic missiles in defiance of the international community, most recently on Nov 29.
“The North Korean regime's continuing unlawful missile launches and testing activities signal its contempt for the United States, its neighbours in Asia, and all members of the United Nations," said US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
"In the face of such a threat, inaction is unacceptable for any nation."
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In the past year, the country has tested ever more ambitious types of missile, and says it can now reach the entire continental United States.
Russia tonight said it is ready to serve as a mediator between North Korea and the United States if both sides agree, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN on Tuesday.