Seoul – North Korea’s latest attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite ended in a catastrophic mid-air explosion on Monday night, Pyongyang officials reported. The announcement followed swift criticism from Seoul and Tokyo regarding the planned launch.
The Malligyong-1-1 reconnaissance satellite, equipped with a newly developed liquid oxygen and oil engine, “exploded in the air during the first flight and failed to launch,” according to a statement from the National Aerospace Technology Administration, relayed by state media. The cause of the failure was attributed to the reliability issues with the new engine design.
Japanese broadcaster NHK captured footage of the incident from northeast China, showing a flaming projectile in the night sky that eventually burst into a ball of flame. This coincided with the time of the attempted launch.
Earlier on Monday, North Korea had notified Japan of its intention to launch another satellite, following a successful attempt in November and two failed efforts last year. These launches have drawn international scrutiny, as North Korea, a nuclear-armed nation, is prohibited by multiple UN resolutions from conducting tests using ballistic technology. Analysts note significant technological overlap between space launch capabilities and ballistic missile development.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported detecting the trajectory of the suspected satellite launch from the Tongchang-ri area in North Pyongan province at around 22:44 local time. However, two minutes later, multiple fragments were observed falling into North Korean waters. The JCS and US military are currently analyzing whether the projectile had any operational flight capabilities.
Japan also confirmed the launch, briefly issuing an alert for residents of southern Okinawa prefecture to seek shelter. The alert was lifted minutes later.
North Korea’s first reconnaissance satellite launch in November was met with international condemnation. The United States denounced it as a “brazen violation” of UN sanctions, underscoring the ongoing tensions surrounding North Korea’s missile and satellite programs.