North Korea said its space administration is analyzing the cause of the failure.
May 31, 2023, 1:51 AM
SEOUL — North Korea acknowledged on Wednesday its failure to launch a military reconnaissance satellite.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that a second launch attempt will be made as soon as possible.
A handout picture shows what is believed to be a part of a space launch vehicle that North Korea said crashed into the sea off the west coast of the divided peninsula, South Korea, May 31, 2023.
Defense Ministry/via Reuters
The report noted the satellite crashed into the West Sea as it lost its thrust due to an abnormality in the start of the two-stage mover after the first stage was separated during a normal flight.
North Korea’s National Space Development Administration is analyzing the cause of the accident.
A South Korean army soldier watches the North Korea side from the Unification Observation Post in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Ahn Young-joon/AP
The launch failed in the first of three stages, essentially blowing up in the air, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.
President Joe Biden and his national security team are “assessing” the launch in close coordination with allies and partners, according to National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge.
The launch used ballistic missile technology, “which is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, raises tensions, and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond,” Hodge said in a statement.
A public TV screen broadcasts news of North Korea’s launch of its first spy satellite, on a street in Tokyo Wednesday, May 31, 2023. North Korea’s attempt to put the country’s first spy satellite into space failed Wednesday.
Eugene Hoshiko/AP
“We urge all countries to condemn this launch and call on the DPRK to come to the table for serious negotiations,” Hodge said. “The door has not closed on diplomacy but Pyongyang must immediately cease its provocative actions and instead choose engagement.”
ABC News’ Martha Raddatz and Molly Nagle contributed to this story.
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