China searching waters where North Korean satellite crashed: South Korea

South Korea said on Monday (June 12) that Chinese warships are carrying out a salvage operation in waters where a North Korean space rocket crashed. Last month, North Korea unsuccessfully attempted to launch a military satellite. The satellite crashed into the water near the west coast island of Eocheongdo. The South Korean military is carrying out its own search for the wreckage of the North Korean satellite.

According to the South Korean military, the rocket crashed into the sea where exclusive economic zones of China and South Korea meet. The South has already pulled some debris from the water. It includes a large cylindrical object.

"Regarding the Chinese vessels, a salvage operation is currently being carried out at a point 200 km (124 miles) west of Eocheongdo, and the waters are open sea," Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a regular briefing on Monday.

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"We understand that some Chinese warships are active in that open sea," Lee said, adding that there were "no disturbances" around the Chinese activity that required any response from the South Korean side.

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Lee Sung-jun's comments came after NK News reported on Friday that Chinese vessels had stepped up patrols in the Yellow Sea where the debris fell. NK News is a Seoul-based websitemonitoring North Korea.

The frenzy after the launch

North Korea launched the satellite on May 31. It was to be its first military spy satellite. The launch caused a flurry of activity in the region. Air raid sirens blared in the South Korean capital Seoul. The citizens were sent a message by the authorities and asked to be ready for evacuation.

Japan activated its missile defence system and its official government handles even tweeted the possibility of a ballistic missile being fired. Japan went to the extent of saying that the missile will land in the sea near Okinawa.

South Korean authorities said after a while that the warning for evacuation was incorrectly issued. Japan withdrew its alerts as well.

Although the May 31 launch was a failure, North Korea vowed that it would attempt to launch a satellite again soon.

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"It is certain that (North Korea's) military reconnaissance satellite will be correctly put into space orbit in the near future and start its mission," said Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Her English language statement was North Korea's state-owned agency KCNA.

North Korea, in a rare and swift admission of setback, said just hours after the launch attempt that Chollima-1 rocket, carrying a military reconnaissance satellite known as "Malligyong-1", crashed into the sea after the second stage engine failed.

(With inputs from agencies)

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