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       North Korean Rocket Carrying Spy Satellite Explodes After Takeoff

       Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, has made deploying a fleet of spy satellites one of his country’s latest ？military ambitions.

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       Watching a news broadcast of North Korea’s rocket launch in Seoul on Monday.Credit...Pool photo by Ahn Young-Joon

       By Choe Sang-Hun

       Reporting from Seoul.

       May 27, 2024Updated 12:23 p.m. ET

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       North Korea attempted to put a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit on Monday, the South Korean military said, but the rocket carrying the satellite exploded midair shortly after takeoff, marking the country’s third failed attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit.

       Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, has made deploying a fleet of spy satellites one of his latest ？military ambitions. He has ？also focused on ？testing what he claimed were nuclear missiles ？capable of targeting the United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region.

       North Korea ？has said it needs satellites to ？increase its ability to monitor and target its enemies and to make its nuclear deterrence more credible.

       After two failed attempts, North Korea placed its first spy satellite into the or？bit last November. ？Mr. Kim has said he would launch three more satellites this year. On Monday, North Korea said it would launch the first of the three before June 4.

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       Hours later, the South Korean military said it detected a rocket launched from the Tongchang-ri space station in northwestern North Korea. The rocket flew over the sea between the Korean Peninsula and China, following the same southern trajectory North Korea had used in its previous satellite launches.

       The South Korean military said the rocket was believed to be carrying a satellite. But it said it considered the launch to be a failure after detecting debris falling over North Korean waters two minutes after liftoff. The rocket was believed to have exploded in midair, the South Korea military added.

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       Choe Sang-Hun is the lead reporter for The Times in Seoul, covering South and North Korea. More about Choe Sang-Hun

       See more on: Russia-Ukraine War, Kim Jong-un , Vladimir Putin

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