North Korea on Tuesday told United Nations agencies that it plans to launch a satellite, which can advance the country's long-range missile technology, by next week. Reacting sharply, the United States suggested that the UN needs to send a swift and firm message to the Kim Jong-un regime against this. The UN has already passed a series of resolutions that bar North Korea from developing nuclear weapons, Reuters reported.

"We have received information from North Korea regarding the launch of earth observation satellite 'Kwangmyongsong' between 8-25 February," a spokesperson for the International Maritime Organization, an UN agency said. The agency representative added that the information it had received was incomplete and it is seeking more details from the country.

Though Pyongyang has said it is launching rockets only to pursue a space program, which is its sovereign right, other governments believe that the country is testing its missiles in the garb of satellite launches. South Korean intelligence officials said that in its 2012 rocket launch, North Korea was actually testing a design for a ballistic missile that could eventually fly more than 6,200 miles with a warhead of about 1,100 to 1,300 pounds. This would essentially put the West Coast of the United States within its range, reported The New York Times.

While South Korea said Pyongyang will pay dearly if it went ahead with the launch, the Japanese defence minister issued an order to destroy any projectiles if confirmed that it will fall on Japanese territory, reported Al Jazeera.