News broadcasts showed footage of the North Korean missile test.
Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty Images
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday that South Korea had recovered from the sea rocket parts from the failed launch of North Korea’s first military satellite last month.
The announcement comes two weeks after North Korea’s failed attempt emission Its first spy satellite, booster and payload crashed into the ocean.
The debris was lifted from the seabed about 75 meters (246 feet) below the surface on the west coast on Thursday night, the military said, adding that they were continuing to search for other objects from what North Korea said were space launch vehicles.
South Korea began recovering debris shortly after launch and has already recovered smaller components. But the operation encountered difficulties, in part because of high tides and poor visibility, prompting the military to send 10 ships and dozens of deep-sea divers.
Photos released by the Joint Chiefs of Staff showed a large cylindrical object labeled “Chonma,” which means winged horse in Korean. North Korea said the rocket was named Chollima-1.
“The salvaged objects will be thoroughly analyzed in cooperation with the United States,” it said in a statement.
South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sub has said the debris appears to be the rocket’s second stage and the military will continue to search for the payload and the third stage.
Lee Chun-geun, an honorary fellow at the Korea Science and Technology Policy Institute, said the newly salvaged object appeared to be a fuel tank.
If the military finds an engine on the tank, it could help uncover some characteristics of North Korea’s new rocket motor, which is designed to generate more thrust at higher altitudes, he said.
Chang Young-keun, a professor at Korea Aerospace University, said the debris would also hint at North Korea’s technological advances in its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities and whether it had purchased any components from overseas in possible violation of sanctions.
“This is important data,” Chang said.
South Korea has said Chinese warship The Chinese military has also conducted a salvage operation in the sea where the North Korean rocket crashed, but it is unclear whether the Chinese military will continue the search.
Seoul and Washington condemned the launch as a provocation and a violation of a UN Security Council resolution banning North Korea from using ballistic missile technology.
Pyongyang says it is exercising its right to space development to counter what it calls US “aggression”, vows make another launch soon.
On Friday, the U.S. missile submarine Michigan The South Korean navy said it was the first time since 2017 that it had arrived in South Korea for a joint special operations exercise aimed at strengthening its response to threats from North Korea.
North Korea fires as submarine dispatch seen as show of force two short-range missiles off its east coast on Thursday and warned of an “inevitable” response to the South Korea-U.S. military drills.