A new type of Chollima-1 rocket carrying a reconnaissance satellite called the Malligyong-1 lifts off from the launching pad at the Sohae satellite launch site in Tongchang-ri in northwestern North Korea at 10:42 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2023, in this photo released the next day by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. North Korea said it has successfully placed the spy satellite into orbit and will launch several more satellites “in a short span of time” to secure its reconnaissance capabilities against South Korea. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea’s claimed success in placing its first military reconnaissance satellite into orbit on its third attempt has raised the possibility it could have received technological assistance from Russia.
North Korea said a new type of Chollima-1 space rocket successfully put the Malligyong-1 satellite into orbit on Tuesday night, just months after two botched attempts in May and August, respectively.
The latest launch came amid growing speculation that Russia might have provided the North with military technology in return for the North’s supply of military equipment and munitions for use in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
South Korea earlier retrieved wreckage from the first attempt, which the North claimed to have experienced an “abnormal” startup of the second-stage engine, and concluded it had no military use as a reconnaissance satellite.
Pyongyang blamed booster malfunctions at the third-stage level on its second attempt.
But in just three months, North Korea came back declaring the successful launch of its first spy satellite and vowed to launch several more “in a short span of time” to secure its reconnaissance capabilities against South Korea.
South Korean military officials and intelligence said that Russia is likely to have provided technical support to the North.
In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traveled to Russia and held a rare summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. When asked whether Russia would help the North build the satellites, Putin told reporters that was the reason “why we came here.”
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said during Sunday’s media interview that North Korea is believed to have overcome its engine problems in its satellite with Russia’s assistance.
Earlier this week, a military official told reporters an 80-ton liquid fuel engine was transferred from Russia to the North even before the September summit, and said evidence suggests that Russian engineers entered the North after the summit.
Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-run think tank, said Russian engineers could have participated in the improvement of the new type of Chollima-1 rocket.
Pending a detailed analysis of the launch, South Korea and the United States did not confirm whether it was a success. Observers say a successful launch could significantly enhance the North’s monitoring of the South.
(Yonhap)
