At the end of May, Pyongyang wants to launch its first satellite for military reconnaissance – and fails. Now the South Korean military reports that part of the rocket has been found.
About two weeks after the crash of a North Korean missile intended to launch a reconnaissance satellite, South Korea’s military has recovered a large piece of wreckage. The general staff in Seoul announced that the cylindrical part had been pulled out of the Yellow Sea yesterday evening.
It is therefore probably the second stage of the North Korean carrier rocket “Chollima-1”. According to reports from South Korean broadcasters, it is twelve meters long. The part was to be brought to a naval base for joint analysis with US experts.
South Korea hopes the investigation will provide further information on the status of North Korean missile development. The technology of space missiles and long-range military missiles differs little.
Search continues
North Korea had admitted the technical failure after the start on May 31. According to Pyongyang, the missile should launch its first satellite for military reconnaissance. The missile fell about 200 kilometers west of the South Korean island of Eocheong. South Korea’s military had already declared at the time that an object had been pulled out of the water that probably belonged to the rocket. The search for other parts is to be continued after the most recent find.
The United States and its allies South Korea and Japan had condemned the missile launch. They accused North Korea of using technology directly related to its ballistic missile program. UN resolutions ban North Korea, which has already conducted several nuclear tests, from launching ballistic missiles of any range. Depending on the design, such rockets can also be equipped with a nuclear warhead.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
