Salvage of Crashed N.Korean Rocket Continues

The South Korean military continues to search for debris of a North Korean rocket that crashed into the West Sea last week. A piece of the fuselage is stuck in the mud 75 m beneath the surface, and currents are strong while visibility is poor.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military sent deep-sea divers into waters 200 km west of Eocheong Island off Gunsan, North Jeolla Province on Sunday to salvage the piece, which is about 15 m long and 2-3 m in diameter.

Salvage efforts had to be abandoned when the tide rose, and the JCS officer decided to resume operations Monday.

According to the JCS, the area of search operations by aircraft covers a radius of 100 km but no more pieces have been spotted.

The debris will provide valuable insights into the level of the North's satellite and intercontinental ballistic missile technology. The latest rocket seems to be different in many respects from previous launch vehicles like the Unha-3 launched in 2012 and the Kwangmyongsong launched in 2016.