North Korea announced that it plans to launch an observational satellite this month, two United Nations agencies said Tuesday.
The international community has dismissed similar claims in the past as smokescreens for North Korean tests of ballistic-missile technology, which the country is banned from developing under U.N. regulations.
Pyongyang said the latest satellite in the "Kwangmyongsong" program was set to be fired into orbit between Feb. 8 and 25, according to the International Maritime Organization.
But the International Telecommunication Union said the information provided by North Korea wasn't sufficient to register the launch in its Master International Frequency Register.
In January, North Korea said it tested a hydrogen bomb, but this was treated with deep skepticism by the United States and others in the West.
