North Korea attempted to place a spy satellite into orbit, but the spacecraft’s launch failed: the military reconnaissance satellite crashed into the sea before causing an evacuation order for the entire South Korean metropolis of Seoul and large areas of Japan.
In a rare statement by the Pyongyang regime quoted by KCNA news agency, it was announced that the ‘Cheollima-1’ rocket crashed into the West Sea of Korea due to the failure of the aircraft carrier’s second stage to launch.
The South Korean military detected the launch from the Tongchang county area around 6:29, with a southward trajectory, which alerted South Korean services and issued an evacuation notice, causing them to fear the worst after the carrier disappeared from radar. Shortly after the launch, Seoul city authorities sent residents a “wartime” emergency alert via text message: “Citizens, prepare to evacuate and let the children and the elderly evacuate first”, while sounding the siren of an air raid in downtown Seoul.
Air Raid Sirens were heard minutes ago in Seoul City, South Korea, and on the Japanese Island of Okinawa, both warnings that Residents should take shelter in place and await possible evacuation orders. pic.twitter.com/CzCWm9LGhZ
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) 30 May 2023
As reported on social media, this is the message prompting residents of the South Korean capital to get ready to evacuate the city to their phones.
The “wartime warning” message appearing on phones in Seoul:
[Seoul Metropolitan Government] At 6:32. A warning has been issued for the Seoul area today. Please prepare to evacuate and allow children and the elderly to evacuate first.https://t.co/DQqwNICDAz
— William Gallo (@GalloVOA) 30 May 2023
A similar warning was issued in Okinawa in Japan, although North Korea had forwarded its launch plan to Tokyo. The alarm caused bewilderment and confusion before the interior ministry in Seoul announced minutes later that the alarm had been “missounded”.
Tokyo and Seoul have strongly criticized the launch, in violation of UN sanctions that prevent Pyongyang from conducting tests with ballistic missile technology. Analysts say that since long-range rockets and space launchers share the same technology, the development of the ability to put a satellite into orbit would give Pyongyang a shield to test banned intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
Meanwhile, the South Korean military is recovering part of the “space launch vehicle” about 200km east of the South Korean island of Eocheong in the Yellow Sea.
Imagine launching a “Super Top Secret Spy Satellite” and the Rocket carrying it Failed Instantly, and then the Satellite was Captured by your Boss. https://t.co/2aWKG5vsWZ
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) 31 May 2023
What should have been a military secret has now fallen into enemy hands: a bad day for the Kim Jong-Un regime
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
