Pyongyang vows to try again after inaugural spy satellite launch ends in failure

North Korea's first spy satellite launch ended in failure yesterday after its second stage malfunctioned, sending the projectile plunging into the sea, with the regime vowing to conduct another launch soon.

- Justin McCurry

The launch sparked emergency warnings on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa and in the South Korean capital, Seoul, where the city briefly issued an evacuation warning in error. Both alerts were later lifted.

The new Chollima-1 satellite launch rocket failed because of instability in the engine and fuel system, the official Korean Central news agency said, adding that officials were working to verify the "grave defects" that caused the rocket to malfunction.

The launch was the nuclear-armed state's sixth satellite launch attempt and the first since 2016. It was supposed to send North Korea's first spy satellite into orbit.

The failed attempt is a setback to attempts by the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, to boost his military capabilities amid rising tensions with the US and South Korea. But after an unusually quick admission of failure, North Korean officials vowed to conduct a second launch as soon as possible, suggesting that Kim remains determined to expand his weapons arsenal and apply more pressure on Washington and Seoul.