North Korean rocket with satellite exploded in mid-air

DPRK missile exploded again after launch/Collage 24 Channel, illustrative photos

North Korea has launched a rocket to host the country's second spy satellite. However, it exploded shortly after launch.

North Korea's official Central News Agency said the spy satellite was launched aboard a new rocket, but it exploded shortly after launch.

The DPRK named the cause of the explosion

The DPRK publication writes that, according to a preliminary examination, the cause of the explosion was problems with a newly developed liquid oxygen-oil engine.

It is worth noting that this is the third time in the DPRK recently fails during satellite launch. On the first attempt, a North Korean rocket with a satellite fell into the ocean shortly after launch. After the second attempt, North Korea stated that during the flight of the third stage there was an error in the emergency detonation system.

Interestingly, the failed launch came hours after the leaders of South Korea, China and Japan met in Seoul for their first trilateral meeting in more than four years.

UN prohibits North Korea from conducting any such launches, viewing them as cover for testing long-range missile technology. The AP notes that it is highly unusual for North Korea to resort to provocations when China, its main ally, is engaged in high-level diplomacy in the region.

Japan Alerts During DPRK Missile Launch

• The Japanese government briefly issued a missile alert for the southern prefecture of Okinawa, urging residents to hide inside buildings and other safe places. The warning was known when the region was no longer in danger.
• Japanese Defense Minister Minor Kihar called the DPRK launch “a serious challenge to the whole world.” But the US Indo-Pacific Command criticized the launch as a “blatant violation” of UN Security Council resolutions, noting that it involved technologies directly related to North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile program. Meanwhile, South Korea's Ministry of Unification called North Korea's satellite launch “a provocation that seriously threatens our and regional security.”
• Meanwhile, North Korea says it has the right to test missiles and spy satellites. They say this will help her better control the United States and South Korea, in which she sees a “threat,” and improve the capabilities of high-precision strikes of her missiles.