A former senior U.S. State Department official says he became aware of North Korea’s plan to launch a satellite on December 15th last year, or three days before Kim Jong-il’s death.

Evans Revere, who served as deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, made the remark in an article posted on Brookings Institution’s Web site. He said he first became aware of the possibility of the North launching the satellite on December 15 during an exchange with a North Korean official.

Revere said the official spoke extensively about the North’s “sovereign right” to conduct the launch.

The former state department official added that “the Obama administration had already heard similar statements from North Korean counterparts, and had already delivered a strong warning to the North.”

Regarding Revere's remarks, State Department Spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters Thursday that she is not going to speak on the details of the three bilateral discussions the U.S. held with North Korea.

Nuland only said the issue of whether Washington would consider a satellite launch by the North a violation came up in those bilateral talks.

The spokeswoman also said the U.S. was extremely clear when that subject came up that Washington “would consider the launch of anything using ballistic missile technology a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1874.”

While announcing various measures to pressure North Korea against a launch, including additional UN Security Council-backed sanctions, the U.S. confirmed Thursday, local time, it would suspend the provision of food aid to the North if the launch goes forward.