North Korea will stay "resolute" in its ambitions to put a military spy satellite into space despite its launch failure on Wednesday (May 31), with a divided United Nations unable to find unity on the issue, a foreign policy expert told Reuters.
Pyongyang made a failed attempt at launching its first spy satellite on Wednesday, with the booster and payload plunging into the sea, North Korean state media said, a setback in its pursuit of a space programme that dates to the 1990s.
Despite the launch failure, however, the attempt “speaks to North Korea's continued honing of its capability, sharpening its missile / nuclear weapons programme,” according to Eleanor Shiori Hughes, a non-resident fellow at Chicago-based think tank Econvue.
Although the United States, South Korea and the West have condemned the North's space vehicle launches for using ballistic missile technology, the United Nations Security Council will struggle to address the issue under a united front amid divisions over the ongoing war in Ukraine, said Hughes.
Hughes also said it was important for Japan to improve its "J-Alert" emergency system following erroneous warnings after recent North Korean missile launches, adding that the system may be needed one day for possible developments related to China.
KCNA reported that Pyongyang would investigate the cause of the failure and aim for a second launch as soon as possible, without specifying a date.
