North Korea’s Satellite Incapable of Conducting Military Reconnaissance, South Korea Says

A part of what is believed to be a space launch vehicle that North Korea said crashed into the sea off the west coast of the divided peninsula, and which the South Korean military had salvaged, at an unidentified location in South Korea, on June 15, 2023. The Defense Ministry/Handout via Reuters

South Korea has successfully retrieved the wreckage of North Korea’s spy satellite, which crashed into the sea on May 31, and assessed that it had no military use for conducting reconnaissance from space.

North Korea tried to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite into space on May 31, but the rocket ended up crashing into the West Sea of Korea shortly after takeoff due to an engine malfunction.