Seoul, March 21 (BNA): The South Korean government announced a ban on exporting dozens of materials through a third country that could be used in the development of North Korean satellites.
The move aims to prevent the secretive, nuclear-armed country from circumventing UN Security Council sanctions.
South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Pyongyang said it plans to put what it claims is a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit in the spring.
A total of 77 items in use for the satellite system have been placed on the Watch List, including solar cell assemblies, coarse sun sensor assemblies, star trackers, image data processing units, X-band transmitters, and moment-control gyro actuators.
This action aims to draw renewed global attention to the urgency of preventing the North from acquiring such strategic materials.
Seoul’s foreign ministry said it has already shared the list with other countries so they can use it for their own export controls in North Korea.
In December last year, Pyongyang said it had conducted a “final stage” test of developing a “military reconnaissance satellite” that would be put into orbit by April.
Seoul also decided to impose additional independent sanctions on four individuals and six institutions involved in Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons programmes, evading international sanctions.
NAA