Panic hits Seoul after North Korea attempts satellite launch
Updated:
May 31, 2023, 07:39 PM IST
NorthKorea tried to launch asatellite, Chollima-1,on Wednesday, May 31, which plunged into the sea due totechnical faults. The incident prompted emergency warnings in both South Korea and Japan. The attempt to launchthe Chollima-1 satellite by North Korea has not only gained widespread condemnation but also led tostrong criticismof the countrys technological developments.
Chollima-1
In data provided to international authorities before the launch, North Korean authorities said the rocket would fly south, with stages and other debris expected to fall over the Yellow Sea and into the Pacific Ocean.
(Photograph:
)
Failed engine!
As per reports from KCNA, the Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean rocket plunged into the sea after losing thrust due to instability in the engine and fuel system.
(Photograph:
)
Debris found
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military was conducting operations to salvage parts of the failed satellite. The military of South Korea shared pictures of a large cylindrical object floating in the sea about 200 km (124.27 miles) off the west coast island of Eocheongdo.
(Photograph:
)
Emergency evacuation
Air raid sirens wailed across Seoul, South Korea at about 6:32 am(2132 GMT on Tuesday) as the city warned its citizens to prepare for a potential evacuation. The Japanese government also issued an emergency warning over its J-Alert broadcasting system for residents of the southern prefecture of Okinawa to take cover indoors early on Wednesday morning.
(Photograph:
Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 12:33 pm