(RightWing.org) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s regime has prioritized putting spy satellites into orbit. Experts claim their successful launch could improve the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) intelligence-gathering capabilities. After two previous efforts failed, the rogue nation reportedly launched a Malligyong-1 (Telescope-1 in English) into orbit in November 2023. A recent report indicates that a spy rocket from North Korea unexpectedly exploded shortly after takeoff.
On May 27, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published a statement from the DPRK’s National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) confirming that “an accident occurred” shortly after the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite. The media outlets reported it was another Malligyong-1-class spacecraft.
NATA’s vice general director said the failure happened during the satellite’s first-stage flight “due to an air blast” of the Malligyong-1’s carrier rocket. He confirmed that a preliminary examination concluded that a failure in the rocket’s recently developed “oxygen + petroleum engine” caused it to explode shortly after takeoff. The vice general director also said investigators would examine the possible existence of other contributing factors.
Japanese broadcaster NHK World News posted a 26-second clip of the incident filmed near the China-North Korea border. The footage shows a bright object flying across the night sky, then erupting in flames. The media outlet claimed it captured the video at about the same time as the North Korean launch of its latest spy satellite.
South Korean officials characterized the attempted launch as a “provocative act that clearly [violated a] UN Security Council resolution [banning] the use of ballistic missile technology.” South Korea’s President, Yoon Suk Yeol, said another effort by the DPRK to launch a spy satellite “would undermine” worldwide and regional stability and peace.
The US Indo-Pacific Command echoed that sentiment and warned that the DPRK’s actions risked “destabilizing the security situation [throughout] the region and beyond.” The command’s statement said the launch didn’t “pose an immediate threat” to US territory, personnel, or allies. It also advised the US forces would continue to monitor the situation.
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