North Korea fails to launch spy satellite as rocket plunges into sea

0
41

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said it failed Wednesday to launch its first spy satellite into space, in a blow to the nuclear-armed state’s efforts to strengthen its military capabilities amid growing tensions with the U.S. and its neighbors.

The newly developed Chollima-1 rocket, which was carrying the Malligyong-1 spy satellite, was launched as scheduled at 6:27 a.m. (5:27 p.m. Tuesday ET) from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in the country’s northwest, according to the North Korean state news agency KCNA.

It then fell into the sea off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula “after losing thrust due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine,” KCNA said in an unusually frank acknowledgment of failure by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime.

North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration said it would investigate what happened and address any shortcomings before it carries out another launch as soon as possible, KCNA said.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it was recovering potential wreckage from the vehicle from waters about 124 miles west of the South Korean island of Eocheong. Photos shared by the South Korean National Defense Ministry showed some of the debris that had been retrieved.

In a trilateral phone call, the U.S., Japan and South Korea strongly condemned the launch, which was based on ballistic missile technology and violated United Nations Security Council resolutions. The three countries are closely monitoring the situation “with a high sense of alertness,” the Japanese Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement summarizing the call.

South Korea and Japan said they were monitoring for possible additional launches.

North Korea failed Wednesday in an effort to launch its first spy satellite into space, state media reported, in a blow to the nuclear-armed state’s efforts to strengthen its military capabilities amid growing tensions with the United States and its neighbors. (South Korea Defense Ministry / AP)

“North Korea has consistently shown its intention to strengthen its nuclear and missile capabilities, and we believe there is a possibility that it will continue to launch various types of missiles, conduct nuclear tests and engage in other provocations in the future,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.

While details are still being analyzed, Matsuno said, the rocket does not appear to have reached space, and there have been no reports of any damage.

In response to the launch, South Korea issued a text alert Wednesday morning telling residents of Seoul, the capital, to prepare to evacuate, but the country’s Interior and Safety Ministry later said that was an error.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon apologized for the confusion but said the alert had been sent out of an abundance of caution, noting that unlike on previous occasions, North Korea launched toward the south rather than the east.

Japan also issued an emergency warning in the southern prefecture of Okinawa, which it lifted later.

North Korea said Tuesday that it planned to launch what it said was a military spy satellite between Wednesday and June 11, in part to monitor what KCNA called “the dangerous military acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces.”

Last week, the U.S. and South Korean militaries held large-scale live-fire exercises near the border with North Korea, the first of five rounds between now and mid-June. North Korea views such exercises as a rehearsal for invasion, which the U.S. and South Korea deny.

U.N. sanctions prohibit North Korea from conducting long-range and ballistic missile tests.

Image: (Kyodo News via AP)

Image: (Kyodo News via AP)

The country has repeatedly launched such missiles anyway, including last month, when it said it tested a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time. It has also conducted six nuclear tests and is thought to be preparing for a seventh.

North Korea and South Korea remain technically in a state of conflict, after the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. South Korea, which successfully launched its first commercial-grade satellite last week, is expected to launch its own spy satellite later this year.

In a statement, the U.S. National Security Council called on North Korea to return to negotiations on denuclearization, which have been stalled since early 2019.

“The door has not closed on diplomacy but Pyongyang must immediately cease its provocative actions and instead choose engagement,” NSC spokesperson Adam Hodge said.

Hodge said the U.S. would take “all necessary measures” to protect the American homeland, as well as its allies South Korea and Japan.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here