According to the South Korean Chosun Ilbo newspaper, citing intelligence sources, North Korea has manufactured a new artificial satellite called "Kwangmyongsong-5". However, the media outlet hasn't revealed any technical specifications of the satellite.
The previous launch of the Kwangmyongsong-4 (Bright Star) artificial satellite from the Sohee cosmodrome (Tonchkhan-ni) in North Korea took place on February 7, 2016, using a Kwanmyonson carrier rocket. According to the data of the Japanese and South Korean military, the rocket was an improved modification of the carrier "Unha-3" ("Milky Way"), a civilian version of the intercontinental ballistic missile "Taepodong-2".
READ MORE: What We Know So Far About North Korean New Missile Test and What to Expect Now
The report emerged amid the recently adopted UNSC sanctions against North Korea, stipulating clearly lower limits on North Korea's refined oil imports, the return of the country's citizens working abroad back to the country within two years and a crackdown on vessels smuggling sanctioned goods, such as oil and coal from North Korea.
Pyongyang has responded to the resolution by rejecting the sanctions and calling them "an act of war", explaining that the country's nuclear weapons are a self-defense deterrent against nuclear threats and blackmailing by the US, prompting them to further consolidate their nuclear arsenal.
READ MORE: 'Act of War': North Korea Rejects New UN Security Council Sanctions
