North Korea’s Rocket-Carrying Satellite Explodes Mid-Flight

North Korea’s bid to launch a second spy satellite ended in failure as the rocket carrying it exploded mid-flight. The announcement came late Monday, following South Korea’s military report of an “unidentified projectile” launch.

Initial analysis pointed to issues with a newly developed liquid-fuel rocket motor, though other potential causes are still being investigated. Earlier, officials in South Korea and Japan had also indicated that the launch appeared unsuccessful. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff observed North Korea firing an “unidentified projectile southwards” over the Yellow Sea, followed by the sighting of numerous fragments in the sea minutes later.

Following the failed launch, nuclear envoys from South Korea, the United States, and Japan had a phone conversation, condemning the attempt. They emphasised that it violated United Nations Security Council resolutions banning North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology, posing a severe threat to regional peace and security.

North Korea had notified earlier in the day about its launch plan, stating that the window would remain open until June 4. This comes after North Korea successfully launched its first spy satellite in November on its third attempt, which drew international condemnation. That launch followed a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in eastern Russia, where Putin promised technical assistance to North Korea.

Kim Jong Un had declared at the end of last year that Pyongyang would launch three more military spy satellites in 2024 as part of a military modernization programme that saw a record number of weapons tests in 2023.

Source: Aljazeera