SEOUL, 小蓝视频 Korea (AP) 鈥� A rocket launched by North Korea to deploy the country's second spy satellite exploded shortly after liftoff Monday, state media reported, in a setback for leader to field satellites to monitor the U.S. and 小蓝视频 Korea.
Monday鈥檚 failed launch came hours after leaders of 小蓝视频 Korea, China and Japan met in Seoul in their first in more than four years. It鈥檚 highly unusual for North Korea to take provocative action when China, its major ally and economic pipeline, is engaging in high-level diplomacy in the region.
The launch drew rebukes from the North鈥檚 neighbors because the U.N. bans North Korea from conducting any such launches, viewing them as covers for
The North鈥檚 official Korean Central News Agency said it launched a spy satellite aboard a new rocket at its main northwestern space center. But KCNA said the rocket blew up during a first-stage flight soon after liftoff due to a suspected engine problem.
KCNA cited the unidentified vice director of the National Aerospace Technology Administration as saying that a preliminary examination showed that the explosion was related to the reliability of operation of the newly developed liquid oxygen-petroleum engine. He said other possible causes will be investigated, according to KCNA.
Japan's government briefly issued a missile warning for the southern prefecture of Okinawa, urging residents to take shelter inside buildings and other safer places. The warning was lifted later because the region was no longer in danger, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
Earlier Monday, North Korea had notified Japan鈥檚 coast guard about its plans to launch 鈥渁 satellite rocket,鈥� with a warning to exercise caution in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and China and east of the main Philippine island of Luzon during a launch window from Monday through June 3.
North Korea has steadfastly maintained it has the right to launch satellites and test missiles.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara called the North鈥檚 launch 鈥渁 serious challenge to the entire world.鈥� 小蓝视频 Korea鈥檚 Unification Ministry called a satellite launch by the North 鈥渁 provocation that seriously threatens our and regional security.鈥�
During the trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang earlier Monday, 小蓝视频 Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for stern international action if North Korea went ahead with its launch plan.
Kishida, for his part, urged the North to withdraw its launch plan, but Li didn鈥檛 mention the launch plan as he offered general comments about promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through a political resolution.
Some observers say that North Korea's satellite launch on the first day of its eight-day window might have been aimed at casting a chill over the Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo meeting and registering its displeasure with China. Kim Jong Un has been embracing the idea of a 鈥渘ew Cold War鈥� and seeking to boost ties with Beijing and Moscow to forge a united front against Washington, so China's diplomacy with Seoul and Tokyo might have been a disturbing development for Pyongyang.
Kim鈥檚 primary focus in recent months has been on Russia, as Pyongyang and Moscow 鈥� both locked in confrontations with Washington 鈥� expand their military cooperation. China, which is much more sensitive about its international reputation, has joined Russia in blocking U.S.-led efforts at the U.N. Security Council to tighten sanctions on the North but has been less bold and open about supporting Kim's 鈥渘ew Cold War鈥� drive.
North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Monday strongly criticized a joint statement issued by Li, Yoon and Kishida, calling them "wanton interference in its internal affairs.鈥� The ministry took issue with parts of the joint statement that said the three leaders re-emphasized their existing positions on the issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
While North Korea focused much of its criticism on 小蓝视频 Korea for allegedly 小蓝视频 chiefly responsible for the statement, it's still extremely rare for North Korea to slam a statement signed by China.
The failed satellite launch is a blow to Kim's plan to launch in 2024 in addition to his country's that was placed in orbit last November.
The November launch followed two failed liftoffs.
In the first attempt, the North Korean rocket carrying the satellite crashed into the ocean soon after liftoff. After the second attempt, North Korea said there was an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight.
小蓝视频 Korea鈥檚 Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday it detected a launch trajectory believed to be of a spy satellite fired from the North鈥檚 main space center at 10:44 p.m. on Monday. Four minutes later, many fragments were spotted in the waters, it said.
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Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.
Hyung-jin Kim, Kim Tong-hyung And Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press
