South Korean Military Continues Operation to Salvage Second Stage of North Korean Rocket

This would be a big intelligence gain for the ROK if they are able to salvage the second stage of North Korea’s failed rocket launch:

An apparent part of a purported North Korean space launch vehicle is seen in waters some 200 kilometers west of the southwestern island of Eocheong on May 31, 2023, in this photo provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Yonhap)

The South Korean military is still in an operation to retrieve a sunken part of a purported North Korean space rocket that appears to be the second stage of the ill-fated vehicle, Seoul’s defense chief said Thursday.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup made the remarks during a parliamentary session, as the Navy is trying to recover the 15-meter part that currently lies at a depth of 75 meters underwater in the Yellow Sea. The retrieval may take two more days, he said.

The North fired what it claims to be a satellite-carrying rocket Thursday morning, but it crashed into the sea due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine, the North’s state media said, in a rare acknowledgement of such a failure.

“We are continuing to trace the third stage and the payload,” Lee told lawmakers, noting the already identified wreckage appears to be the second stage of the rocket.

Yonhap

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