North Korea’s second try to launch a spy satellite into space didn’t work. This happened three months after their first try crashed into the sea.
The latest attempt failed on Thursday morning during the third part of its journey, as per state media.
For North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, having a spy satellite is a big deal. It would help him watch for incoming attacks and plan his own actions better.
The space agency in Pyongyang said they will give it another shot in October.
South Korea noticed the rocket being launched around 03:50 in the morning local time (18:50 GMT). It flew through a part of the sky that’s open to all countries, between mainland China and the Korean peninsula.
Right after the launch, there was an emergency warning in Japan’s southern Okinawa area. It told people to stay indoors for safety. The warning ended after about 20 minutes.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida criticized the launch, saying it goes against the rules set by the UN, and they are protesting it strongly.
The United States asked North Korea not to do anything else that might be seen as a threat. They also said that North Korea should start talking seriously with others instead.
Even though the rocket launch failed on Thursday, it seems like North Korea is getting better at this.
A news report from their state-run media said the failure happened because of a problem with the emergency system during the last part of the flight. They said it’s not a big issue.
This time, the rocket carrying the satellite went farther than before. In May, they had a try that didn’t work, and officials in North Korea called it a really serious failure. They promised to try again.
It looks like Mr. Kim will keep trying until he succeeds. He’s also working on more weapons, even though he’s not agreeing to talk to the United States.
This launch happened just after leaders from the US, Japan, and South Korea had an important meeting in Washington. It also comes as the US and South Korea start their yearly military exercises.
