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| ▲ This file photo, provided by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on May 31, 2023, shows the wreckage from a North Korean space rocket discovered in the Yellow Sea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This file photo, provided by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on May 31, 2023, shows part of a North Korean space rocket discovered in the Yellow Sea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
N Korean rocket-retrieval
S. Korean military salvages sunken N. Korean space rocket wreckage
By Song Sang-ho and Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean military has retrieved a sunken part of an ill-fated North Korean space rocket from the Yellow Sea, officials said Friday, capping a weekslong salvage operation hamstrung by poor underwater visibility, fast currents and other obstacles.
It raised the wreckage, initially thought to be the second stage of the rocket, Thursday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, amid expectations that a probe into it could shed light on the progress of the North's long-range rocket development program.
On May 31, the North fired what it claimed to be the new "Chollima-1" rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite, "Malligyong-1," but it crashed into the sea due to the abnormal starting of the second-stage engine, according to its state media.
On the same day, the South Korean military identified the wreckage when it splashed into the waters some 200 kilometers west of the western island of Eocheong. But it dropped to the sea floor at a depth of 75 meters due in part to its heavy weight.
The military initially assessed that the wreckage was about 15 meters long, half the length of the entire rocket -- a reason why expectations rose that an analysis of it could help elucidate how far North Korea's rocket technology has come.
For the retrieval operation, the Navy deployed a group of specially trained divers and two salvage and rescue ships, the ROKS Tongyeong and the ROKS Gwangyang, as well as the ROKS Cheonghaejin submarine rescue ship and a P-3 maritime patrol aircraft.
The painstaking operation was fraught with a set of challenges, including inclement underwater conditions, like visibility of just 50 centimeters, as the Navy prioritized the safety of divers and other personnel, according to a JCS official.
The retrieval process proceeded in phases.
Divers first attached pieces of hauling gear to the cylinder-shaped wreckage and linked it to steel wires. Before it was lifted close to the surface, divers added additional pieces of equipment to ensure it would not fall back down. Then, they hauled it onto a military ship, using a crane.
Challenges emerged from the initial phase as divers could hardly find parts of the round-shaped wreckage's exterior where they could fix wires -- unlike the uneven exterior of the crashed helicopter salvaged last year.
The military involved experts from the state-run Agency for Defense Development and other specialists in the operation to ensure it would proceed safely without losing any crucial pieces of the wreckage, the JCS official said.
Among the hindrances were the heavy weight of the wreckage stuck in the mud flat and the possibility that it could break apart while being lifted. Concerns also arose that an explosion could occur if it contained combustible elements like a fuel storage part.
"Due to the potential dangers, we had technical advisers on board so that we could take necessary steps while observing the situation," the JCS official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "From the thickness of diving suits to other issues, we sufficiently took safety concerns into account."
Along with the salvage operation, the military has also been carrying out a separate mission to search for other rocket parts, including the third stage and a purported satellite. Their search has been proceeding at sea, underwater and in the air, the JCS said.
The salvaged part will be transported to the Navy's Second Fleet in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul.
South Korea and the United States plan to conduct a joint probe into it as agreed on during the allies' defense ministerial talks on the margins of an annual security forum in Singapore earlier this month.
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