North Korea launched a ballistic missile that was supposed to deliver the first North Korean satellite into orbit. The state agency TsTAK reported that the first stage separated normally, but then engine problems began, and the rocket fell into the sea. The agency clarified that after an investigation into the incident, a new attempt will be made to launch the satellite.
South Korean army officials confirmed that the missile disappeared from radar shortly after launch and disintegrated in the air, with debris falling into the Yellow Sea west of the Korean Peninsula. The military fished out debris believed to be from the missile and later released a photo of a barrel-shaped metal object with tubes and wires inside.
Following the rocket launch, air raid sirens sounded in Seoul, and evacuation messages were received on residents' mobile phones. True, a little later, residents of the capital received reports that the previous ones had been sent out by mistake.
North Korea has previously warned that it will launch a reconnaissance satellite between May 31 and June 11. Japan's Defense Ministry has threatened to shoot down any missile that enters the country's airspace.