South Korea Salvaging Suspected Wreckage of North Korea’s Crashed Spy Satellite

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration after recent satellite system tests, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by state media on March 10, 2022. KCNA via Reuters

South Korea conducted a salvage operation on Wednesday to recover an object presumed to be the wreckage of a North Korean military spy satellite that had crashed into the sea due to rocket malfunction.

North Korea launched its military reconnaissance satellite using the newly developed “Chollima-1” rocket at around 6.27 a.m. local time on Wednesday at the North’s Sohae Satellite Launching Ground.

The rocket crashed into the West Sea of Korea shortly after takeoff. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported the rocket “lost thrust due to abnormal start of the two-stage engine.”

The North’s National Aerospace Development Administration attributed the failure to “the low reliability and stability of the new-type engine system“ and the ”unstable specifications of the fuel,” it stated.

KCNA stated that North Korean authorities will investigate the failed launch and carry out a second launch “as soon as possible through various partial tests.”

South Korea’s military said it located an object presumed to be part of North Korea’s “space launch vehicle” in waters 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Eocheong Island at around 8.05 a.m. local time, AFP reported.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected the launch from the west coast of North Korea at 6.29 a.m. local time and issued an emergency alert in Seoul through sirens and text messages urging citizens to evacuate, but the alert was retracted shortly after.

Japan also detected the launch and said the projectile disappeared over the Yellow Sea. An emergency warning was issued in the Okinawa prefecture, but it was later lifted after it was confirmed that the projectile will not fall on Japan’s territory.

Nuclear envoys from South Korea, Japan, and the United States spoke on the phone and condemned North Korea’s launch, which posed “a grave threat” to regional security, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry.

“The three parties shared the view that they will continue to monitor the situation with a high sense of vigilance,” the ministry stated.

US Calls For ‘Serious Negotiations’ With North Korea

The United States said that North Korea’s launch using ballistic missile technology was “a brazen violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions,” which raised tensions and risked destabilizing the region and beyond.

“We urge all countries to condemn this launch and call on the DPRK to come to the table for serious negotiations,” National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said in a statement, referring to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and the defense of our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies,” Hodge added.

A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's rocket with the test satellite during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 31, 2022. Lee Jin-man/AP Photo

North Korea conducted the final-stage test of the spy satellite last year to evaluate the capabilities of satellite photography and data transmission system.

KCNA released black-and-white photos of South Korea’s cities of Seoul and Incheon, which, when enlarged, showed areas surrounding the South Korean presidential office in Seoul.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said that having an operational military reconnaissance satellite would be crucial for North Korea to cope with the “most hostile rhetoric and explicit action” by the United States and South Korea.

The United Nations imposed economic sanctions on North Korea over its previous satellite and ballistic missile launches but has not responded to recent tests because China and Russia, permanent council members now locked in confrontations with the United States, have blocked attempts to toughen sanctions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.