But the projectile landed in South Korea’s western waters after an “abnormal flight” and before it could launch any object into orbit, according to officials in Seoul and Tokyo.
The air raid sirens and the warning for citizens to prepare for potential evacuation turned out to be a “false alert,” the Ministry of Interior and Safety said.
Japan also issued an alert in on the southern island of Okinawa for residents to “take shelter inside a building or underground immediately,” but the alert was lifted 30 minutes later.
In Washington, the White House condemned North Korea for a “launch using ballistic missile technology,” with National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge adding that the “door has not closed on diplomacy.”
North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration said an “accident” occurred during the launch of its military reconnaissance satellite and that the second stage of the rocket malfunctioned. It lost thrust midair due to engine failure and fell into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and China.
The North Korean military would conduct another launch “soon,” the official Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang said Wednesday morning.
North Korea had previously said that it planned to launch its first-ever military spy satellite May 31 and June 11, saying it was needed so it could track “dangerous” actions by the United States, including the recent joint drills taking place with the South Korean military.
Senior North Korean official Ri Pyong Chol said Tuesday that the country’s first military reconnaissance satellite would provide “reliable reconnaissance information system” to “have a grip on enemy military activities in real time.”
The North’s space launch is considered a breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions that restrict the regime from using ballistic missile technology, which can also be used for warheads.
After Pyongyang warned Japan of its plans to launch a space satellite, Tokyo on Monday condemned the plan as a cover for a potential missile launch and ordered its military to destroy any North Korean missile that entered its territory.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that North Korea’s planned launch would be a “serious issue that affects the people’s safety.” He has instructed relevant ministries to urge Pyongyang to “exercise self-restraint,” making the call in conjunction with the United States and South Korea.
Japan on Wednesday lodged a complaint with North Korea through official channels in Beijing, said chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno.
Although Wednesday’s launch failed, North Korea has proven it can master difficult technology against the odds.
After numerous missile failures during 2017, North Korea successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile — on a “lofted” trajectory, so it went up and fell back into the sea.
Since then, it has refined its technology through repeated launches, firing more than 100 missiles since the beginning of 2022.
North Korea has been firing off missile after missile after missile this past year — in fact, nearly every time Kim Jong Un’s regime has launched, the regime’s propagandists claim they have made significant advancements in their nuclear and weapons program.
The flurry of tests shows Kim is making his arsenal of missiles easier to launch, harder to track and, one day, capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
In April, Kim presided over the launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-18. Kim has long wanted this technology. It’s no wonder, because solid-fuel propellants are easier to operate than liquid-propelled missiles and most countries with ICBMs maintain a mix of both types.
Julia Mio Inuma in Tokyo contributed to this report.
