North Korea’s attempt to put a second spy satellite into orbit burst into flames shortly after launch on Monday, the country’s state news agency confirmed.
Pyongyang’s failed rocket launch took place from a space centre in the country’s northwestern region during the country’s first trilateral meeting between China, Japan and South Korea in more than four years.
The reclusive nation claims to have successfully launched its first spy satellite last year.
North Korean officials claimed the failure was caused by a problem with an air explosion during the first stage of the flight. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency The satellite was described as a “reconnaissance satellite.”
U.S. officials have expressed concern that North Korea’s satellite launch is a ploy to strengthen its long-range ballistic missile program.
The failure marks a setback for North Korea’s efforts to conduct surveillance operations against the United States, South Korea and Japan.
North Korea maintains it reserves the right to launch satellites into space and test missiles despite international pressure against such launches.
South Korea and Japan immediately condemned North Korea’s launch, with South Korea’s Unification Ministry strongly denounced it as a “provocative act that seriously threatens the security of our country and the region.”
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara denounced the move as a “serious challenge to the entire world.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has long relied on close ties with China due to numerous sanctions imposed by Western countries.
The attempted launch is seen as an unusually provocative act as China seeks to improve diplomatic ties with Japan and South Korea after years of disputes.
Late Monday afternoon, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman issued a blunt rebuke after Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo reaffirmed their desire for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
“Hostile acts violating our inviolable national sovereignty will never be tolerated.” The spokesman said this, according to the Korean Central News Agency..
“Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula would mean a power vacuum and a premature war,” the press release published by the state news agency added.
The last such meeting between China, Japan and South Korea was held in Seoul in 2019.
The recent meeting was aimed at strengthening security cooperation in the region.
