North Korea blames fuel instability for failed spy satellite launch

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North Korea launched a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile on April 13, 2023, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The Japanese government is warning residents of Okinawa Prefecture to take shelter immediately after North Korea launched an apparent missile on Wednesday morning, May 31, 2023. (KCNA)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea North Korea’s first military spy satellite, launched on Wednesday, failed in flight and crashed after the rocket engine lost thrust, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The rocket lost power after a second-stage engine abnormally started during flight, KCNA said hours after launch. The unstable nature of the fuel used was the cause of the failure, according to a spokesman for North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration quoted by KCNA.

A second satellite launch will be carried out as soon as possible, the report adds.

The space launcher lifted off at 6:29 a.m. from North Pyongan province, about 70 miles north of Pyongyang, and flew south over Baengnyeongdo, an island near the northern boundary line that marks the point the westernmost part of South Korea, according to a text message. South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It flew abnormally before crashing into the Yellow Sea about 125 miles west of South Korea’s Eocheong Island and 100 miles southwest of Seoul. The South Korean military has recovered an object that is believed to be part of the space launcher, according to the Joint Chiefs.

South Korea and Japan issued post-launch cover and evacuation warnings.

The nation’s capital, Seoul, sent out a phone alert around 6:30 a.m. urging residents to prepare for evacuation. Around this time, the Japanese government warned residents of Okinawa Prefecture to stay indoors or hide.

Japan’s order was rescinded at 7:04 a.m. Seoul’s evacuation alert was issued in error, South Korea’s Interior and Security Ministry said at 6:41 a.m.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters in his office that no damage was reported, but declined to provide further information.

North Korea’s state-run Central Korean News Agency reported on Tuesday that the regime plans to launch a military reconnaissance satellite to track the assets of the US military and its allies.

The plan prompted Japan’s Defense Ministry to issue warnings for ships in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and waters east of the Philippines between Wednesday and June 11. The ministry said the Self-Defense Forces would intercept the projectile using ships equipped with missile defense systems if it threatened Japanese citizens.

North Korea will have to bear the price and pain it deserves if it goes ahead with the launch, the South’s foreign ministry warned in a statement on Monday.

The US State Department on Tuesday called the planned launch an illegal activity. Although Pyongyang says the payload is a satellite, the launcher uses the same technology as a ballistic missile and would violate UN Security Council resolutions, a statement said.

Tokyo-based Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report, which will be updated.

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