The United States condemns North Korea’s attempt to launch a missile into space

The United States has condemned North Korea’s second attempt to launch a spy satellite, calling it a “flagrant violation” of the United Nations Security Council and saying it could destabilize security in the region.

“Despite its failure, (the launch) is a flagrant violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond,” Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said in a statement. .

North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) attempted to launch the Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite using the new-type Chollima-1 carrier rocket to put it into orbit, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. The official Korean Central News Agency (Korean Central News Agency).

The Korean Space Agency said that the first and second stages of the rocket had normal flights, but the third launch failed due to a fault in the emergency detonation system during the third stage flight, the KCNA news agency reported.

The US Aeronautics and Space Administration, following an investigation into the failed attempt on Thursday, said it would attempt to launch a third satellite in the fall. The space agency said the cause of the accident was “not a major problem in terms of the reliability of the cascade engines and the system,” KNCA reported.

And neighboring Japan issued a brief “Alert J” ordering residents to evacuate as the North Korean satellite flew over Okinawa into the Pacific Ocean.

Watson said the space launch “includes technologies” directly related to North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic program. The test comes amid a series of missile tests the country has conducted over the past few months.

“The door to diplomacy has not been closed, but Pyongyang must immediately stop its provocative actions and choose dialogue instead,” she added, urging North Korea to come to the negotiating table for “serious negotiations.”

Watson said President Biden’s national security team is assessing the situation with US allies and partners.

In a statement ThursdayThe U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said it was aware of the launch and determined the event did not immediately threaten U.S. personnel, the territory of the United States, or its allies.

“The commitment of the United States to the defense of its homeland and the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains firm,” the statement read.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday it had detected the missile flying over international waters off the western coast of the Korean Peninsula after it launched from Tonchang-ri — North Korea’s main space launch center — at 3:50 a.m., according to the Associated Press. Press. . The company failed to launch a spy satellite in May at the same location.

Last week, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) warned officials that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to resume weapons testing in response to the annual joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, which began this week.

Associated Press contributed.