2023-05-31 01:55:44
North Korea announced on Wednesday the failed launch of a two-stage launch vehicle carrying a military reconnaissance satellite. She “fell into the sea,” reported the North Korean state news agency KCNA. “The new satellite launch vehicle ‘Cheollima-1’ has sunk in the West Sea,” the agency reported, using the Korean name for the Yellow Sea.
The Japanese government issued an emergency alert for residents of southern Okinawa Prefecture. At the same time, air raid sirens wailed in the South Korean capital of Seoul. Citizens have been urged to prepare for a possible evacuation. It was later said that the warning was accidental.
The South Korean news agency Yonhap had previously reported, citing the South Korean general staff, that the projectile had disappeared from radar earlier than expected.
The US government has “strongly condemned” North Korea’s launch of a multi-stage missile. “This alleged space launch used technologies directly related to North Korea’s ICBM program,” the National Security Council said on Tuesday evening (local time). De-escalation by diplomatic means is still possible, but Pyongyang must stop its provocative actions immediately.
The rocket launch increases tensions in the region and could destabilize the security situation, it said. “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.”
North Korea previously informed Japan and international authorities that it plans to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11 to gather real-time intelligence on joint US-South Korean military exercises. The Pyongyang government said the launch would see various rocket stages and other debris fall into the Pacific Ocean as it headed south. Japan and South Korea responded to the announcement with protests.
The US State Department had said before the downing on Wednesday that any North Korean launch using ballistic missile technology would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions. “Space launch vehicles (SLVs) contain technology identical to and interchangeable with that of ballistic missiles, including ICBMs,” a State Department spokesman said.
North Korea, which it says is nuclear-armed, has launched an unprecedented number of missiles in the past year, including ICBMs that can reach the United States. At the same time, the isolated country, led by head of state Kim Jong-un, has resumed preparations for its first nuclear test since 2017. North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs are banned by UN Security Council resolutions.
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