SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A rocket launched by North Korea to deploy the country’s second spy satellite exploded shortly after takeoff Monday, state media reported; leader Kim Jong Un’s hopes of establishing a satellite to monitor the United States and South Korea have been dashed.
Monday’s botched launch came hours after the leaders of South Korea, China and Japan met in Seoul in their first trilateral meeting in more than four years. It is highly unusual for North Korea to take provocative actions while China, its biggest ally and economic pipeline, is engaging in high-level diplomacy in the region.
The launch drew rebuke from the North’s neighbors because the UN has banned North Korea from carrying out such launches and sees them as cover for testing long-range missile technology.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said it launched a spy satellite on a new rocket to its main space hub in the northwest. But KCNA said the rocket exploded during its first stage flight, shortly after takeoff, due to a suspected engine problem.
KCNA quoted an unidentified deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Technology Administration as saying that a preliminary investigation showed that the explosion was related to the operational reliability of the newly developed liquid oxygen-oil engine. He said other possible causes would be investigated, according to KCNA.
Japan’s government briefly issued a missile warning for the southern prefecture of Okinawa, urging residents to take shelter inside buildings and other safe places. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the warning was later lifted because the area was no longer in danger.
Earlier on Monday, North Korea notified Japan’s coast guard of its plans to launch a “satellite rocket” and warned to be careful in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and China and in the waters east of Luzon, the main island of the Philippines. From Monday to June 3.
North Korea has steadfastly maintained that it has the right to launch satellites and test missiles.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara called the North’s launch “a serious challenge for the whole world.” South Korea’s Unification Ministry called North Korea’s satellite launch “a provocation that seriously threatens our and regional security.”
At a trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang early Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for tough international action if North Korea goes ahead with its launch plan.
Kishida, for his part, called on the North to withdraw the launch plan, but Li did not mention the launch plan while making general comments about promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through a political solution.
Some observers say North Korea’s satellite launch on the first day of an eight-day period may have been aimed at chilling the Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo meeting and registering its discontent with China. Kim Jong Un embraces the idea of a “new Cold War” and is trying to strengthen ties with Beijing and Moscow to form a united front against Washington. Therefore, China’s diplomacy with Seoul and Tokyo could be a disturbing development for Pyongyang.
Kim’s main focus in recent months has been Russia; as Pyongyang and Moscow, both confronting Washington, are expanding their military cooperation. China, much more sensitive about its international reputation, has joined Russia in blocking US-led efforts at the UN Security Council to tighten sanctions against the North but has been less bold and open in supporting Kim’s “new Cold War” push.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry sharply criticized the joint statement issued by Li, Yoon and Kishida on Monday, calling them “immoral interference in internal affairs.” The ministry objected to parts of the joint statement that said the three leaders re-emphasized their current positions on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Although North Korea has focused much of its criticism on South Korea, claiming that it was mainly responsible for the statement, it is still extremely rare for North Korea to harshly criticize a statement signed by China.
The failed satellite launch dealt a blow to Kim’s plan to launch three more military spy satellites in 2024 in addition to his country’s first military reconnaissance satellite, which was placed into orbit last November.
The launch in November followed two failed launches.
The North Korean rocket carrying the satellite on the first attempt fell into the ocean shortly after takeoff. After the second attempt, North Korea said that an error occurred in the emergency detonation system during the third stage flight.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday that it had detected a launch orbit believed to belong to a spy satellite launched from the North’s main space center at 10:44 pm on Monday. It was stated that four minutes later, many pieces were seen in the water.
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Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.