North Korea’s attempt to launch a spy satellite ended in failure

Update: 31.05.2023 02:50

Pyongyang/Seoul/Tokyo – North Korea tried to send a spy military satellite into space today, according to Reuters, the local state media reported. But the first attempt in seven years ended in failure, they said, when the second stage of the rocket carrying the satellite malfunctioned and the system crashed into the Yellow Sea. The launch of the rocket had earlier triggered a brief alarm in South Korea and Japan, with authorities and media in both countries also talking about the rocket’s failure. According to them, its fall did not cause any damage to their territory.

The DPRK has previously announced that it will attempt a test launch of a military reconnaissance satellite. However, the launch of the satellite failed due to instability of the rocket engine and fuel system, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA said today. It was Pyongyang’s sixth attempt to launch a satellite into orbit and the first since 2016, according to Reuters.

About two hours before North Korea’s official statement, Seoul and Tokyo were informed about the launch of the missile. The relevant authorities of both countries are now investigating the details of the flight and trajectory of the North Korean carrier. North Korea launched a rocket today at 6:29 local time (Tuesday 23:29 CEST) from a spaceport on its west coast, South Korea said, according to the Kyodo agency. The “space launch vehicle” then flew over the Yellow Sea, into whose waters it subsequently crashed, South Korean media reported, citing military sources, according to Reuters.

Shortly after the launch of the missile, Japan issued a warning for the island of Okinawa south of the Japanese mainland, alarm sirens also sounded across the southern part of the Korean peninsula. A warning calling for preparation for a possible evacuation appeared on the phones of Seoul residents and also sounded in the streets of the metropolis, wrote the AP agency – the South Korean Ministry of the Interior, however, later clarified that it was an erroneous report.

Japan and South Korea did not immediately report any damage. According to the Kyodo news agency, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishisa said that the projectile did not cause any damage on Japanese territory.

South Korea’s Jonhap news agency said on Tuesday that the DPRK had informed the International Maritime Organization of its plan to test a military reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11. Seoul and Tokyo protested this, pointing out that it would be a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

In data provided to international authorities, North Korea said the missile would head south after launch and its stages and other debris were expected to fall into the Yellow Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

According to the AP, North Korea needs to use ballistic missile technology to send a satellite into space, which is prohibited by UN Security Council resolutions. Even in the past, the DPRK’s satellite broadcasts were seen as missile tests, which the country tries to disguise in this way.