▲ This file photo provided by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on June 1, 2023, shows the launch of the North's new Chollima-1 rocket, allegedly carrying a military reconnaissance satellite, the Malligyong-1, from Tongchang-ri on the North's west coast at 6:29 a.m. the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

NK rocket-salvage operation

S. Korea's military ends operation to salvage sunken wreckage of N. Korean rocket

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military has ended a search and salvage operation for the sunken wreckage of a purported North Korean space rocket without finding anything "meaningful," an official said Friday, following its failed launch last week.

The military concluded the search and salvage operation in waters west of the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, which began immediately after the botched launch of the rocket carrying what Pyongyang claimed to be a military reconnaissance satellite on Aug. 24.

"After discussions with relevant agencies, (we) decided to end the operation, determining that no meaningful debris would be found even if additional searches took place," the official said, noting that nothing significant was found during the operation.

Earlier, a defense ministry report to lawmakers said the rocket's first stage plunged into waters west of the peninsula.

North Korea's state media has said the launch failed due to an error in the "emergency blasting system" during the third-stage flight.

It marked Pyongyang's second failed attempt to put its first military spy satellite in orbit. Its first launch on May 31 failed due to an "abnormal" startup of the rocket's second-stage engine, according to its state media.

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