Pyongyang intended to use the satellite to monitor US forces.
According to North Korea, its first military surveillance satellite plummeted into the Yellow Sea after the rocket transporting it experienced an engine malfunction.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Wednesday-launched rocket lost thrust due to “abnormal staring” of the engine following the separation of the first stage. Officials from North Korea were quoted as saying that engineers would examine “the serious defects” before attempting another launch “as soon as possible.”
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea confirmed Pyongyang’s launch of a “space launch vehicle,” adding that the projectile landed approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of the island of Eocheong.
Wednesday morning, sirens were heard throughout Seoul, but government officials subsequently stated that the alert system was accidentally activated.
Warnings were also issued via the emergency alert system in Okinawa, a prefecture in southern Japan. The Japanese government later stated that the projectile did not fly over Japanese territory. Monday, Pyongyang warned the Japanese Coast Guard that the satellite would be launched between Wednesday and June 11, according to NHK.
Ri Pyong-chol, a senior North Korean official, announced on Tuesday that Pyongyang intends to deploy its first surveillance satellite sometime in June. Ri stated that the satellite was necessary to counter Washington’s escalating hostility and the “reckless” military exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea.
The United States has previously stated that a North Korean satellite launch would violate international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang’s ballistic missile program.
