In a meeting held on Friday, the United Nations Security Council discussed North Korea’s unsuccessful attempt to deploy a new military reconnaissance satellite into orbit, according to the council’s agenda.
Lana Nusseibeh, President of the UN Security Council, stated on Thursday that a meeting had been requested in light of North Korea’s recent attempt to launch a military satellite. On May 31, 2023, Pyongyang made an unsuccessful attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite attached to the “Sholima 1” missile.
The second stage engine failed to ignite after the separation of the first stage, resulting in the rocket losing thrust and falling into the East China Sea, as reported by the North Korean Space Agency.
Following the failed launch, the United States strongly condemned North Korea’s attempt. Both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Tokyo emphasized that the launch violated United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Kim Jong-un’s sister, on Thursday, asserted that “no one can deny the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s right to launch satellites,” adding that Pyongyang was confident that their new military reconnaissance satellite would soon commence its mission in orbit.
North Korea announced on Wednesday that the military reconnaissance satellite had crashed during the launch process, with the second stage experiencing technical malfunctions. Further investigations are being conducted, and a second test is expected to take place soon.
Earlier, South Korean military stated that “North Korea launched a space launch vehicle southwards, following their earlier announcement of the launch plan this week.”
Despite international criticism and violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibiting launches using ballistic missile technology, North Korea informed Japan and the International Maritime Organization of its plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11.
