2023-08-24 02:12:27
8/24/2023-|Last update: 8/24/202305:09 AM (Mecca Time)
North Korea’s second attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite into space has failed, an official media report said Thursday, a few months following a space rocket launched by Pyongyang crashed into the sea minutes following launch.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made developing a spy satellite a top priority, saying it is a necessary balance to the growing US military presence in the region.
The North’s Korean Central News Agency reported that the National Aerospace Development Administration “conducted the second launch of the (Malegyong-1) spy satellite by the modern rocket (Cholima-1)” at the Sohae Satellite Launch Site in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province.
The agency added that the missile’s flight in the first and second stages was normal, but the launch failed due to an error in the emergency detonation system during the third stage.
For its part, the National Aerospace Development Administration said it will make a third launch attempt in October following investigating the reasons for the failure.
international condemnation
On the other hand, the White House condemned Thursday North Korea’s attempt to launch a spy satellite.
Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the US National Security Council, considered that the attempt, despite its failure, constitutes a flagrant violation of several resolutions issued by the UN Security Council, and destabilizes the security situation in the region and beyond.
South Korea’s presidential office also spoke yesterday of a National Security Council meeting on North Korea’s latest missile launch, in which officials expressed regret over Pyongyang’s waste of resources on “reckless provocations” amid its economic crisis.
The presidential office added that President Yun Sok-yul ordered preparations for further military moves by North Korea.
For its part, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced in a statement that it had detected, at approximately 3:50 am, local time, the launch of “what North Korea claims is a space missile.”
The Joint Chiefs of Staff added that the missile was launched southward from North Phyongan Province and crossed international airspace over waters west of Ewodo, referring to the Sokotra rock in the Yellow Sea.
The Japanese government was the first to announce the detection of the North Korean missile.
It said Pyongyang had used banned ballistic missile technology, and that the missile had crossed Japanese airspace near Okinawa.
“The recent launch by North Korea is very problematic from the perspective of ensuring the safety of the affected population as well as aircraft and ships,” said Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno.
The missile launch comes shortly following the leaders of Washington, Seoul and Tokyo met at Camp David in the United States, during which North Korea’s growing nuclear threats were a major item on the agenda.
In May, Pyongyang launched what it described as its first military reconnaissance satellite, the Malegyong-1, but the missile carrying the Chollima-1 fell into the sea minutes following launch.
The United States, Japan and South Korea condemned the failed launch in May, accusing Pyongyang of using technology directly linked to its intercontinental ballistic missile programme.
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