SEOUL – He satellite what North Korea failed to launch into orbit was not advanced enough for military reconnaissance work from space, as Pyongyang claimed, the South Korean military said Wednesday after recovering and studying the wreckage.
The North attempted to launch its first spy satellite in late May, but the long-range rocket carrying it fell into waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula shortly after liftoff. The satellite was to be part of a space reconnaissance system that Pyongyang says it needs to deal with security threats from Seoul and Washington.
South Korea mobilized navy ships, planes and divers to recover the remains of the missile and satellite in a 36-day operation that ended on Wednesday, its General Staff said in a statement.
“Numerous” parts, some “key”, were recovered and South Korean and US experts who jointly studied them concluded that the satellite had no military reconnaissance capability, the note added.
North Korea did not immediately respond to the South’s announcement.
On the day of the failed launch, North Korean state media reported that the rocket lost power after its first and second phases separated, and then crashed into the sea. At a meeting of the ruling party last month, he called the launch “the most serious failure” this year and strongly criticized those responsible.
Senior North Korean officials have repeatedly vowed to retry the launch after learning what went wrong with the first one.
The United States, South Korea and others said the North Korean satellite was a security risk and violated United Nations Security Council resolutions on the secretive nation’s use of ballistic missile technology. But it is unlikely that more sanctions will be imposed because Russia and China, which are part of the permanent council, oppose it.
FUENTE: With information from AP
