The satellite North Korea attempted to launch into orbit in May was so rudimentary that it could never serve as a functioning spy satellite as North Korea desired, South Korea’s military said Wednesday.
North Korea launched a new missile, the Collima-1, on May 31, hoping to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite, the Malligyong-1, into orbit. The missile, which set off alarms and a false evacuation order in Seoul, malfunctioned and crashed into the sea off South Korea’s west coast shortly after launch.
South Korea sent military planes, ships and deep-sea divers to search for debris that would provide clues about the North’s missile and satellite technology.
The South had already recovered parts of the missile, but confirmed on Wednesday that the military had also recovered “key components” of the satellite.
After analyzing the debris from the failed missile launch, experts in South Korea and the United States concluded that the satellite had “no military use at all as a reconnaissance satellite,” South Korea’s defense ministry said in a press release Wednesday.
Rocket failures are common in the space industry. But North Korea viewed the failure in May as an embarrassment. At a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party last month, North Korean state media reported that top leaders “expressed bitter criticism” at officials responsible for the failed attack.
North Korea said it would attempt another satellite launch “in a short time” after technical issues were resolved. Its leader, Kim Jong-un, has said that placing military spy satellites over the Korean peninsula was one of his top priorities.
Experts say such satellites would make North Korea’s military more effective and its nuclear arsenal more dangerous. But when the north unveiled photos of Malligyong-1 in May, outside experts said it looked rudimentary compared to satellites launched by more technologically advanced countries.
Yet, in response to the North’s continued arms buildup, the United States and South Korea have expanded their joint military exercises in the region.
On Friday, they conducted a combined air force exercise over the Korean Peninsula, involving at least one B-52H strategic bomber. On June 16, the USS Michigan, a nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine, made a port of call in South Korea, its first such visit since 2017.
When President Biden met with his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol, in April, Washington promised Seoul the “regular visibility” of its strategic assets around the Korean peninsula to emphasize its commitment to defending South Korea against North Korean aggression .
On Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. General Pat Ryder told reporters that a US submarine carrying nuclear weapons would visit South Korea “sometime in the future”. When asked if the submarine would carry nuclear weapons, he only confirmed that the submarine would be “nuclear capable”.
When the submarine arrives, it will be the first known visit to South Korea by a US submarine carrying nuclear weapons since 1981.
