North Korea fails 2nd attempt at launching spy satellite

North Korea announced it had a failed attempt at launching a spy satellite, shortly after South Korea’s military claimed it detected a long-range rocket sent from the country on Thursday.

The attempt marks the second failure claimed by North Korea, which said it would make a third try this October. North Korea’s first attempt on May 31 failed when their rocket fell into the sea soon after its launch.

The efforts are part of leader Kim Jong Un’s intent to build a space-based surveillance system to track the military activity of the U.S. and South Korea.

“The flights of the first and second stages of the rocket were normal, but the launch failed due to an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight,” state news agency KCNA reported of Thursday’s flight.

“The cause of the relevant accident is not a big issue in terms of the reliability of cascade engines and the system,” the agency added.

The launch led to Japan issuing an emergency warning around 4 a.m. local time, using their J-alert broadcasting system. Residents in Okinawa were instructed to take cover indoors, but the warning was lifted roughly 20 minutes later.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that they detected the rocket around 3:50 a.m. off the Korean Peninsula’s west coast, where North Korea’s main space launch center is housed.

The launch came just three days after the U.S. and South Korea began their annual joint military drills, which North Korea sees as rehearsals for an invasion — and which it considers to be increasing the threat of nuclear war between the countries.

Defense systems in South Korea were bolstered in response to Thursday‘s launch and the country said it was closely communicating with the U.S. on the matter.

The United States and South Korea issued statements back in May, condemning the first launch for violating United Nations agreements that ban the use of ballistic missiles.

Last week, South Korea’s spy agency reported that North Korea was preparing for tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles and other weapons. On Monday, KCNA reported the firings of tests involving strategic cruise missiles.

With News Wire Services