(VOVWORLD) - North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the sea late on Wednesday, but the launch appears to have failed, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean military.
The South Korean military said North Korea fired the missile from the Sunan area at 11:05 pm but it did not provide other details, according to the Yonhap report. South Korean and US intelligence services are conducting an analysis of the launch, Yonhap said.
North Korea's military spy satellite appears to have gone into orbit, but more time will be needed to determine if it is operational, Seoul's military said Wednesday.
The North Korean National Aerospace Technology Agency (NATA) announced earlier that it had successfully launched a new rocket called Chollima-1 carrying the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 from its Sohae satellite launching facility at 10:42 pm on Tuesday and the satellite entered orbit at 10:54 pm.
North Korea's Central News Agency said Malligyong-1 will officially begin its mission on December 1 after a fine-tuning process lasting 7 to 10 days.
The US, Japan, and South Korea immediately condemned North Korea's move, claiming that the satellite was launched using ballistic missile technology, which they believe violates UN Security Council resolutions, adding that they will take action in response.
G7 and EU representatives issued a joint statement Wednesday condemning North Korea for launching satellites using ballistic missile technology, emphasizing that North Korea's move is a serious threat to peace and stability in the region and the world.