A projectile that triggered an evacuation scare in Seoul and plunged into waters off the South Korean coast is what remains of a failed satellite launch meant to aid North Korean spying efforts on the U.S. military, North Korean state media confirmed on Wednesday.
North Korea’s aerospace ministry announced the “Malligyong-1” military reconnaissance satellite on a new type of launch vehicle, the “Chollima-1,” on Wednesday morning local time as scheduled, according to state media outlet KCNA. However, a second-stage engine failure caused the “unreliable” launch vehicle to lose thrust in mid-air the satellite, sending the booster and payload hurtling down into the seas below.
The National Aerospace Development Administration vowed to “thoroughly investigate the serious defects revealed in the satellite launch” and prepare for a second launch as soon as possible once scientists overcome technical challenges, according to KCNA. (RELATED: North Korea Touts Massive Missile Buildup, Signals Major Nuke Advancements)
The projectile was initially thought to be either a satellite or ballistic missile and prompted evacuation warnings in areas of Japan and South Korea. The object vanished from radar earlier than expected, according to AFP. Seoul later said the evacuation advisory had been issued in error, Reuters reported.
Seoul’s military said it had recovered parts what it believed to be the space launch vehicle floating in waters roughly 200 miles from the island of Eocheongdo, off the West coast, Reuters reported.
Missile consultant and professor at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies George William Herbert told Reuters that photos shared by South Korea’s military appeared to depict parts of a rocket, including “interstage” section intended to connect to a subsequent section, according to Reuters.
Officials from the U.S., Japan and South Korea “strongly condemned” the planned satellite launch in a phone call, Japan’s foreign ministry said, according to Reuters.
“The three countries will stay vigilant with high sense of urgency,” the ministry added.
EOCHEONG-DO ISLAND, SOUTH KOREA – MAY 31: In this handout image released by the South Korean Defense Ministry, The object salvaged by South Korea’s military that is presumed to be part of the North Korean space-launch vehicle that crashed into sea following a launch failure in waters off on May 31, 2023 in Eocheongdo Island South Korea. (Photo by South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images)
Pyongyang hyped the satellite launch — its sixth overall and the first since 2016 — for months, as it would have been the country’s first intelligence gathering satellite to reach orbit. The launch, announced Tuesday, was intended to assist Pyongyang in tracking and responding to “dangerous military acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces,” Ri Pyong Chol, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea, said in a statement carried by KCNA.
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