OPINION: Lest North Korea’s Military Technology Fall Into Pak Hands !

North Korea has failed to launch its military reconnaissance satellite . But it has vowed to continue its attempt in the direction . South Korea, Japan and the United States are unlikely to sit quiet. The three nations are sure to intensify their trilateral military cooperation. New Delhi must be cautious. The North's military technology may fall into the hands of Pakistan to the detriment of India.

Although North Korea failed to launch a military reconnaissance satellite yesterday, South Korea, Japan and the United States are unlikely to sit quiet. Observers say the North's rocket( Chollima-1) to launch the satellite system( Malligyong-1 ) failed after its first stage and crashed into the sea.

But Pyongyang has already declared it would make a second attempt in the direction "as soon as possible." Chances of the North's success in its military satellite enterprise cannot be ruled out .The North's space enterprise may click as it involves the technologies related to its already highly advanced intercontinental ballistic missile programme.

North Korea claims it needs the spy satellite for the "real-time" tracking and monitoring of the military activities of the United States and allies in the region. Pyongyang has been furious that Washington and Seoul have conducted several joint military drills in recent months. Besides, the US and South Korea have conducted trilateral missile-tracking exercises with Japan.

Long convinced with the dangerous implications of the North Korean secretive armament programme on their security , Japan, South Korea , and the United States are likely to intensify their trilateral defence cooperation. The three nations may oppose the North's continuance of spy satellite programme, arguing that such activities incorporate technology identical to the one used in ballistic missiles. They may assert the use of this technology violates the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that prohibit Pyongyang from conducting ballistic missile launches .

Pertinently, to counter the possible ill effects of the military satellite the North had sought to launch on Wednesday , Japan had ordered its Self-Defence Forces to prepare to shoot down a North Korean ballistic missile or rocket that threatened its territory. Tokyo sent its PAC-3 ground-based missile-defence batteries to Okinawa's Miyako, Ishigaki and Yonaguni islands. It also deployed its Maritime Self-Defence Force Aegis destroyers to waters around Japan.

The observers say that apparently, India has little to worry over any friction over the North's military programme. However, New Delhi should maintain constant vigilance over the North's military activities. North Korea has had clandestine defence technology cooperation with Pakistan . In 2003, Abdul Qadeer Khan, the founder of the nuclear programme of Pakistan, traded know-how and technology with North Korea (Iran and Libya). In 2011, Khan claimed that North Korea had bribed senior officials of the Pakistani Army and got them to allow him to share nuclear technology and certain equipment with the Stalinist state in East Asia.

One story goes that then Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto personally gave nuclear technology to North Korea. In 1993, secret services of India, Russia and some western countries were closely monitoring every move on Pakistan's military research. To evade any detection by them, she, during her visit to Pyongyang, carried the sensitive material( CDs containing the scientific data about uranium enrichment ) in her overcoat. Pakistan gave uranium enrichment technology to North Korea in return for the latter's missiles.

Given such a strong relationship between Pyongyang and Islamabad , the North's military technology may fall into the hands of Pakistan, to the detriment of India in future. North Korea may have little hesitation in not being considerate to India's interests here. In deepening its relationship with Pakistan, North Korea has never been sensitive to India's interests.

It may be recalled that during the historic war of independence for Bangladesh, North Korea's sympathy lay with Pakistan. It served the interests of Pakistan, to the detriment of India's. Way back in 1971, then Pakistan Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto visited Pyongyang and sought North Korean arms supplies . The Bhutto visit led to the signing of an agreement in September 1971 for the supply of North Korea-made conventional weapons to Pakistan. Under that agreement, Pakistan received from North Korea many shipments of items such as rocket launchers and ammunition.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

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