The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced, “The rocket lost momentum and crashed into the (North) Korean Yellow Sea,” and admitted problems in the launch of a rocket carrying its first military reconnaissance satellite on the morning of May 31. North Korea quickly and officially acknowledged that the attempt to place its first military spy satellite in orbit had failed. It also announced that it would inspect technical issues and attempt a second launch soon.

Around 9 a.m. Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s official media outlet, announced, “The National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea conducted a scheduled launch of the new satellite launch rocket, Chollima-1, loaded with the military reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Cholsan, North Pyongan Province at 6:27 a.m. May 31.” The North Korean state media continued to report that “due to the abnormal starting of the second stage engine,” during the normal flight after the first stage separation, Chollima-1 lost thrust and plunged into the North Korean Yellow Sea.

Prior to the announcement from North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff also confirmed, “The (North Korean) projectile passed through the air over distant waters west of Baengnyeongdo Island and landed in the water approximately 200 km west of Eocheongdo Island after making an abnormal flight.”

According to the KCNA, a spokesperson for the National Aerospace Development Administration, which oversaw the satellite launch, said, “We believe the cause of the accident was in the low reliability and stability of the new engine system applied to the satellite launch rocket Chollima-1 and the unstable nature of the fuel used, and related scientists, engineers, and experts are trying to identify the specific cause.”

NADA announced, “We will investigate and clarify the details of the serious defects that occurred in the satellite launch, urgently seek scientific and technological measures to overcome these problems, and conduct tests on various areas to conduct a second launch in the nearest future.”

It was unusual for North Korea to quickly disclose its failure in launching a military spy satellite on the day it occurred. It may be trying to show that unlike the concerns of the international community, North Korea has stable control over the launch situation and that the satellite launch was a legitimate action.

On May 29-31, the DPRK informed the Japanese government and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that it would launch a satellite sometime between midnight May 31 and midnight June 11.

With South Korea and the United States already aware that the launch had failed, North Korea could have decided to acknowledge its failure after considering the various political and technological questions that could be raised by the international community and experts if it did not disclose the news. Kim Yo-jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister and a deputy director in the Workers’ Party of Korea, once released a statement fiercely condemning the South Korean experts who criticized the result of a test launch of a reconnaissance satellite last December.

Since North Korea has announced that it would quickly promote another launch, authorities are not ruling out the possibility of a second launch during the period notified.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea launching a satellite using technology that could be applied to ballistic missiles is a violation of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council.