The South Korean Ministry of Defense announced the lifting of fragments of a North Korean missile from the bottom of the sea, which was supposed to launch a "military spy satellite" into orbit, Reuters reports .
South Korean experts examined them, as well as the apparatus itself, and concluded that it could not be used for military intelligence purposes. Earlier, Kim Jong-un said that the launch of a spy satellite is part of the US military deterrence program, which deploys its strategic forces in the region, "turning South Korea into a forward base of aggression and a place to deploy a military arsenal."
On May 31, the DPRK launched a ballistic missile that carried this device. The TsTAK spoke about the regular separation of the first stage of the rocket, after which there was a malfunction in the engine, due to which it fell into the Yellow Sea. On the same day, South Korea lifted its wreckage.
The study of them made it possible to find out that the "spy satellite" was not equipped with reconnaissance equipment that would allow shooting with sufficient resolution to be used for military purposes or to track the movement of any objects on the ground.
The launch of the missile was condemned by South Korea, Japan, as well as Western countries, recognizing that it was carried out in violation of international law and decisions of the UN Security Council, according to which the DPRK is prohibited from launching ballistic missiles. In turn, North Korea is planning a new launch of such a device into orbit.