GENEVA, Switzerland, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A United Nations agency said it has delivered a letter of strong warning to North Korea after Pyongyang announced the launch of an earth observation satellite.
The International Telecommunication Union, an organization that promotes cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, stated North Korea did not provide relevant information prior to launch, Yonhap reported.
The ITU had previously been notified by Pyongyang of the launch, but a specific date range was not given, The New York Times reported.
ITU said it also presented the information about North Korea and the country's violation of international regulations before the U.N. Security Council.
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Sanjay Acharya, a spokesman for the ITU, said Wednesday the letter was sent from Francois Rancy, the ITU's director, and addressed to Kim Kwang Chol, the North Korean minister of posts and telecommunications. Kim had told Acharya the satellite was designed to work for four years.
But on Wednesday Acharya told South Korean media that North Korea was asked to supply additional relevant information. Pyongyang's representative did not respond. The letter is a warning to North Korea after it did not preregister technical specifications regarding the Kwangmyongsong-4, which was sent into orbit in early February.
The ITU is not authorized to place sanctions against countries in violation of international rules, and the organization has sent its review of North Korea to the Security Council, which does have the power to enact sanctions, Acharya said.
The ITU spokesman said North Korea similarly did not provide relevant information in 2013 after it launched a satellite in late 2012.
North Korea's provocations have drawn widespread condemnation and on Wednesday its state-controlled media websites were down, triggering speculation that they may have been hacked, South Korean television network KBS reported.
The sites were back up by evening.
