LOC09:23
06:23 GMT
TOKYO, Dec 28 (KUNA) -- South Korea has retrieved what appears to be part
of the engine from North Korea's long-range rocket launched earlier this
month, the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported Friday, citing a military
source.
"We recovered an object believed to be the engine debris of North Korea's
long-range rocket on Thursday night from the bottom of the sea about 160
kilometers off" the western port city of Gunsan, the source was quoted as
saying. "It appears to have been damaged a lot from the shock at the time of
the crash."
North Korea successfully launched the rocket on Dec. 12 and put a satellite
into orbit, fueling concerns Pyongyang is closer to developing
intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons as far
as the mainland US.
Many countries condemned the launch as a disguised test of missile
technology and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that ban
Pyongyang from any ballistic activity over concerns it could be used for
missile development.
The rocket's first stage fell in the Yellow Sea and the second stage near
the Philippines. South Korea's Navy has been scouring the area where the first
stage fell to retrieve debris. Besides the latest finding, four more
items of debris have been recovered so far, including parts of the rocket's
oxidizer container and fuel tank. (end)
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