Salvaged launch vehicle part could prove intel treasure trove

North Korea

Published: 18 Jun. 2023, 17:55 Updated: 18 Jun. 2023, 17:59

Salvaged launch vehicle part could prove intel treasure trove

A retrieved part of the North Korean satellite launch vehicle (SLV) which sank in the Yellow Sea after the North's failed launch on May 31, is revealed to the press on Friday. [KOREA PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSOCIATION]

A salvaged North Korean satellite launch vehicle part may yield critical information on North Korea’s ballistic missile technology.

The South Korean military retrieved a part of the North Korean satellite launch vehicle (SLV) which sank in the Yellow Sea after 15 days of salvage operations.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Friday, the military salvaged a part of the Chollima-1 SLV around 8:50 p.m. on Thursday.

The salvaged remains are believed to be the second stage of the three-stage Chollima-1 rocket, a cylinder of 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in diameter and 15 meters in length.

In addition to the Korean letters “Cheoma,” there were other symbols previously found on North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

"Similar carbon composite material technology is used for the tip of North Korean ICBMs and the nozzle neck of the North Korean space launch vehicle," Lee Chun-geun, an honorary fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute, told the JoongAng Ilbo.

It wasn't clear as of Sunday whether the salvaged remains included an engine, which experts say will be critical in yielding information on how far the North's ICBM technology may have advanced.

“Once the engine is secured, we will be able to know which products North Korea gained, violating sanctions,” said Chang Young-keun, a professor at Korea Aerospace University.

The salvaged remains were handed over to the Agency for Defense Development, a national institute for research and development in defense tech, for further analysis.

Agencies from the United States, such as the Defense Intelligence Agency, were expected to join the analysis.

On May 31, North Korea attempted to launch a "Malligyong-1" spy satellite from its Sohae satellite launching site in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, but the SLV failed due to a botched engine ignition during second-stage separation, according to North Korean state media.

The debris fell into the Yellow Sea approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Eocheong Island, which is located 70 kilometers off the North Jeolla coast, according to the JCS.

The South Korean military initially recovered a part of the projectile that appeared to be a cylinder connecting the first and second-stage rockets, but the debris fell into the sea because of the heavy weight.

Salvage efforts have been marred by difficult conditions including fast currents and poor visibility.

In turn, the South Korean Navy deployed two 3,500-ton salvage and rescue ships, the ROKS Tongyeong and the ROKS Gwangyang, the 3,200-ton submarine rescue ship ROKS Cheonghaejin, P-3 maritime patrol aircraft and deep-sea divers to assist retrieval operations.

On Friday, a U.S. nuclear-powered guided missile submarine (SSGN) docked in Busan, marking the first such visit in six years.

In a Defense Ministry press release, South Korean Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Kim Myung-soo said, “The U.S. SSGN’s visit to South Korea is intended to substantively implement the agreement in the Washington Declaration made in April to enhance the regular visibility of strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula,” referring to the joint statement issued by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden during Yoon’s state visit to Washington in April.

The South Korean and U.S. navies plan to conduct combined special operations exercises during the submarine’s visit to enhance their interoperability and joint capability to respond to the threat posed by North Korea’s advancing weapons programs.

The arrival of the SSGN submarine in Busan came a day after the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, an act that sparked condemnation from the national security advisers of South Korea, the United States and Japan.

BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG, SARAH KIM, MICHAEL LEE AND ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]