[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Debris of North Korean Projectile Marked 'Cheonma' Salvaged 15 Days After Crash

15 Days After Deployment of Navy Deep-Sea Divers
South Korea and US Begin Joint Investigation of Recovered North Korean Missile
Satellite and Additional Debris Search Operations Underway

The debris of the space launch vehicle 'Cheollima 1,' which North Korea launched using ballistic missile technology on the 31st of last month and crashed into the West Sea, has been recovered. It has been 15 days since our military began the recovery operation.

On the 16th, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced, "Our military recovered part of the 'North Korean claimed space launch vehicle' around 8:50 PM the previous day." The recovered debris is estimated to be the second stage of the three-stage rocket Cheollima 1, measuring approximately 12 meters in length and about 2.5 meters in diameter. On the surface of the cylindrical debris, the word 'Cheonma' and a mark depicting a flying horse were confirmed.

Debris of the recovered North Korean space launch vehicle 'Chollima-1' (Photo by Ministry of National Defense)

Earlier, North Korea claimed to have loaded the military reconnaissance satellite 'Malligyeong 1' on Cheollima 1 and launched it from a new launch site in Dongchang-ri, Pyonganbuk-do, on the 31st of last month,

but after the first stage separation, the ignition of the second stage failed, causing it to crash into the sea about 200 km west of Eocheongdo, Gunsan, Jeonbuk. About an hour and 30 minutes after North Korea launched the vehicle, the military found floating debris presumed to be from Cheollima 1 in the sea near the crash site and tied yellow lift bags to prevent it from sinking.

However, during the recovery attempt, the heavy debris detached from the recovery equipment and completely sank to the seabed at a depth of 75 meters. When discovered, only a part was exposed above the surface, appearing to be a few meters long, but upon inspection, it was found to be about 12 meters long, roughly half the length of the entire launch vehicle.

For the recovery operation, the military deployed the 3,500-ton surface ship rescue vessels Tongyeong (ATS-II) and Gwangyang (ATS-II), the 3,200-ton submarine rescue ship Cheonghaejin (ASR), as well as aircraft, combat ships, and Navy Special Salvage Unit (SSU) deep-sea divers. After 15 days of operations, they succeeded in recovering the debris. Navy deep-sea divers were deployed from the 3rd and worked on tying high-tension ropes around the cylindrical debris of the launch vehicle. However, the ever-changing sea conditions, weather, and fatigue of the military personnel slowed the operation's progress. On the 1st, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop appeared before the National Assembly's Defense Committee and said, "It may take about two more days, until tomorrow (2nd) or the day after (3rd)," which explains why the recovery took so long.

The recovered space launch vehicle will be jointly investigated by South Korea and the United States. The two countries agreed on this during the Asia Security Conference (Shangri-La Dialogue) in Singapore on the 3rd. In December 2012, when the debris of North Korea's long-range rocket Unha-3 was recovered from the West Sea, a joint investigation team was also formed.

At that time, the Unha-3 investigation included strategic weapons experts from the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and civilian experts involved in the Naroho development on the South Korean side, while the U.S. side included experts who analyzed missiles developed by the former Soviet Union and Iran.

The recovery operation continues. The military stated that the recovered debris is the 'second stage' of the rocket, but if the reconnaissance satellite mounted on the third stage is found, it is expected to provide insight into the latest technology related to North Korea's accumulated intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities. Chinese vessels are also reportedly waiting near the site of our Navy's recovery operation. The area where the rocket debris fell is the Korea-China provisional arrangement zone, an international waters area between the Korean Peninsula and China's Shandong Peninsula. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), debris falling in international waters is owned by the party that recovers it first. However, there are concerns that if China finds the North Korean launch vehicle debris first and returns it to its ally North Korea, it would violate international law.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.