North Korean rocket carrying second spy satellite explodes mid-air

(AFP) North Korea reported the failure of its latest attempt to launch a spy satellite into orbit. The announcement came hours after the announcement of its launch was condemned by South Korea and Japan.

The missile carrying the Malligyong-1-1 spy satellite "exploded in the air during the first flight," causing "its launch to fail," declared the National Aerospace Technology Administration in a statement obtained by AFP.

In that sense, North Korea explained that the "cause of the accident was the reliability of the new liquid oxygen and kerosene engine." Meanwhile, the Japanese network NHK broadcast images of what appeared to be a burning projectile and stated that it had recorded it from northeastern China, coinciding with the launch attempt.

Pyongyang had notified Japan on Monday that it planned to put another satellite into orbit, after a successful attempt in November and two failures last year.

Multiple United Nations resolutions prohibit North Korea, which has nuclear weapons, from testing ballistic technology.

"Our military detected around 10:44 p.m. (1:44 p.m. GMT) on Monday the trajectory of what is suspected to be a military reconnaissance satellite from the North, launched from the Tongchang-ri area, in North Pyongan province, towards the south," declared the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.