North Korea has issued a shipping warning of a satellite launch between Feb. 8 and 25, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced on Tuesday, as China sends an envoy to steer the country back into denuclearization.
"We have received information from DPRK regarding the launch of earth observation satellite 'Kwangmyongsong' between 8-25 February," an IMO spokesperson said in an email statement to the press.
If the launch goes ahead, it would be in violation of United Nations sanctions. The U.S. earlier warned that Pyongyang was preparing to launch a long-range missile after seeing activity at a test site via satellite.
North Korea previously launched a satellite in 2012 and claimed the right to develop space technology, although western and Asian observers claim it is an attempt to disguise the development of a long-range ballistic system.
The news comes as Chinese special envoy to North Korea, Wu Dawei, flew to Pyongyang to "exchange ideas over the current situation," China's Foreign Affairs Ministry told the Global Times on Sunday. It marks the first time China sent an envoy to the North after it announced a successful test of a hydrogen bomb on Jan. 6.
Wu's visit could defuse tensions in the Korean peninsula, although expectations are low for any significant progress in bringing North Korea back to denuclearization talks, the Global Times reported. The ministry declined to comment on the details of Wu's visit.
China has recently stepped up efforts to bring Pyongyang back to the Six-Party Talks following its latest nuclear bomb test--its fourth since 2013--as the U.S. and South Korea urge for tougher sanctions.
"Wu's main purpose is to explain China's position and principles concerning North Korea's nuclear issue and also to urge North Korea to give up its nuclear program," sai Lu Chao, a professor at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.
The visit is conducive to keeping tensions on the Korean peninsula from further worsening, and should help in the resumption of the Six-Party Talks, Lu added.
China insists that the Korean peninsula should be free of nuclear weapons, but emphasizes solving the issue through peaceful negotiations.
The Six-Party Talks initiated by China in 2003, which involved the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Russia and North Korea, were suspended due to North Korea's withdrawal from the talks in 2009.
In January, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China agreed with the U.S. that the U.N. could pass new resolutions in response to the latest nuclear test, but emphasized the resumption of dialogue with North Korea. The Chinese government also rebuffed accusations that it is not doing enough to pressure the North in abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
Jin Qiangyi, director of the Asia Studies Center at Yanbian University, said that the Chinese envoy's trip to the North would only have a limited effect in easing tensions in the peninsula.
"North Korea could agree to delay the launch of its rocket in order to ask China to resist the U.S. push for tougher U.N. sanctions, but Wu's visit is unlikely to achieve fundamental results, such as persuade North Korea to give up nuclear weapon development," Jin said, citing North Korea's previous statements that it would continue nuclear tests.
Lu noted North Korea's "stubborn" attitude in pursuing nuclear abilities as a major obstacle in the latest China-North Korea talks.
"If it refuses to change its attitude, the Peninsula could spiral further out of control," he added.
Wu previously held talks with U.S. special representative for North Korean policy Sung Kim in Beijing on Jan. 29. The two sides exchanged views on the situation in the Korean peninsula and the Six-Party Talks, according to the Chinese government.