TOKYO: North Korea launched a rocket carrying a reconnaissance satellite on Monday night, but it exploded during the first stage of flight due to an engine problem, according to the country’s state-run news agency.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary HAYASHI Yoshimasa told a press conference that North Korea went ahead with the satellite launch using ballistic missile technology, adding that it disappeared over the Yellow Sea and no object was ejected into space. He noted that there were no reports of damage.

According to the South Korean military, North Korea launched a military reconnaissance satellite from Tongchang-ri in the country’s northwest toward the southern Yellow Sea at around 10:44 p.m. Monday, and many pieces of debris were detected at sea around 10:46 p.m.

The Japanese government, through its J-Alert early warning system, called on people in the southern prefecture of Okinawa to take shelter. The alert was lifted after the government realized that the rocket would not reach Japan.

Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio instructed government staff to gather and analyze related information and provide accurate information to the public swiftly, check the safety of aircraft and ships, and make all possible preparations for a contingency.

The launch came after North Korea notified the Japan Coast Guard early on Monday of its plan to launch a rocket carrying a satellite by midnight on June 3. The Japanese government urged North Korea to cancel the plan through its embassy in Beijing, pointing out that any launch using ballistic missile technology would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. After the launch, Japan lodged a protest with North Korea through the embassy channel.

Earlier in the day, Japan, South Korea and China held a trilateral summit in Seoul.

In November last year, North Korea claimed to have successfully launched a reconnaissance satellite into orbit. Its launches of such satellites in May and August that year had failed. In December, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would launch three more satellites in 2024.

JIJI Press