North Korea spy satellite launch fails as rocket falls into sea

North Korea - satellite launch
North Korea have said they intend to conduct a second launch after it learns what went wrong with the first. Credit: AP

North Korea’s attempt to launch a spy satellite into space in a bid to boost the country's military capabilities has failed.

Earlier this month, Pyongyang announced plans to launch a military spy satellite which would be used to monitor US military activities.

Air-raid sirens sounded around Soul and Japan as emergency alerts were triggered in the early hours of the morning, less than 15 minutes after the launch.

This was followed by an evacuation order sent to citizens’ phones telling people to seek shelter.

Authorities in South Korea's capital sent text messages to city residents urging them to move to safer places Credit: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon apologised to citizens for “causing confusion” over sending a citywide alert.

The alert was cancelled about 20 minutes after it was issued.

It's rare for South Korea to issue such a missile alert, with only three being triggered since 2017 despite North Korea conducting more than 100 missile tests in the past 17 months.

Following the crash, North Korea’s National Space Development Agency said it would be investigating the failure “urgently” and plan to carry out another launch after new testing.

South Korea say they found objects presumed to be part of the satellite were found in the sea about 220 kilometers west of Eocheong Island. Credit: South Korea Defense Ministry via AP

According to The KCNA, the rocket, Chollima-1, “lost propulsion due to an abnormal startup of the engine on the second stage after the first stage was separated during normal flight.”

The report said the mission failure was caused by low “reliability and stability of the new engine system” and the “unstable” fuel used.

Both the South Korean and Japanese governments have condemned the launch as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

A statement from Yoon's office stated that the launch was a “serious provocation that threatens peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the international community".

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