North Korea says it successfully launched spy satellite

By Salih Okuroglu

North Korea announced late Tuesday that it successfully launched a surveillance satellite into orbit.

South Korea's military detected the rocket launch carrying the satellite into space, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"Our military detected a North Korean military reconnaissance satellite that was launched southward from the Dongchang-ri area in North Pyongan Province at 22.43 local time,” said South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Japan Coast Guard warned ships in the region about falling parts of the rocket.

The US condemned the launch, with National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson saying it was "a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, raises tensions, and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond."

The launch was Pyongyang’s third after failed attempts in May and August.

North Korea attempted to launch a military surveillance satellite in May, but it failed due to a malfunction in the carrier rocket system. Pyongyang described the attempt as the "most serious mistake.”

North Korea announced that the satellite would be launched again "correctly" in a short time, despite international condemnation.

Pyongyang made a second satellite launch attempt in August but announced that it also failed. It said it would try again in October.