US - Japan - South Korea's reaction to North Korea's satellite launch

In a press release, the JCS stated: "We immediately detected, tracked and monitored the launch, and shared relevant information among South Korea, the United States and Japan, as well as comprehensively analyzed the details." The JCS said the three countries have an Aegis destroyer, equipped with radar, with a detection range of more than 1,000 km, ready to carry out missions in waters designated by each country for joint monitoring. According to a military official, this is not a real-time information sharing activity because the system is expected to begin deployment in December.

Earlier, the North Korean National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) announced that it had successfully launched a new carrier rocket named “Chollima-1” carrying the “Malligyong-1” reconnaissance satellite from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Cholsan County, North Phyongan Province, at 10:42 p.m. on November 21 (8:42 p.m. the same day Hanoi time). The launch was carried out after two failures in May and August. According to KCNA, the Chollima-1 carrier rocket moved normally along the predetermined flight path and accurately put the Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite into orbit at 10:54 p.m.

The JCS has yet to confirm whether the satellite has entered orbit. The JCS said it will maintain its capabilities and be ready to "respond."

In a related development, nuclear envoys from South Korea, the United States and Japan held phone talks after North Korea launched what the three countries said was a military satellite.

South Korea's foreign ministry said Kim Gunn, the country's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, spoke by phone with his US and Japanese counterparts, Jung Pak and Hiroyuki Namazu. During the call, the officials protested the North's launch, expressing concern that the North had carried out the launch an hour earlier than previously announced, posing a serious threat to the safety of aircraft and ships.

On the same day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the White House expressed concern over the launch, saying it could "increase tensions and risk destabilizing security in the region."