The World Briefly
June 01, 2023Deflated
North Korea
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North Korea failed to launch its first spy satellite, the country announced Wednesday, dealing a blow to the nuclear-armed state’s efforts to strengthen its military capabilities amid ongoing tensions with the United States and its neighbors, NBC News reported.
The Chollima-1 rocket carrying the Malligyong-1 spy satellite was launched in the early hours of Wednesday, but it later fell into the sea off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula “after losing thrust due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine,” according to state media.
Officials announced they will launch a new rocket once they have investigated the problems with this launch.
The failure is a rare admission for North Korea, which had previously announced plans to launch a spy satellite in June to monitor “the dangerous military acts of the US and its vassal forces.”
The launch sparked alarm in neighboring South Korea and Japan, with both countries issuing emergency warnings on the day of the launch. The two US allies said they will monitor any additional launches.
Meanwhile, the US, South Korea and Japan jointly condemned Pyongyang’s launch, saying it violated United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The failed launch came as US and South Korean forces are holding large-scale military drills near the border with North Korea, which Pyongyang has labeled as a rehearsal for invasion.
Washington and Seoul deny the allegation.
UN sanctions prohibit North Korea from conducting long-range ballistic missile tests but the country has continued to do so regardless, while also having conducted six nuclear tests to date.
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