South Korea's military recovered Friday a large piece of wreckage reportedly from a North Korean rocket about two weeks after it crashed.
The piece was believed to be the second stage of a rocket carrying a North Korean military reconnaissance satellite which failed to launch at the end of May.
The cylindrical piece of wreckage was pulled from the Yellow Sea on Thursday evening, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday.
According to reports from South Korean broadcasters, the 12 meter-long piece was to be brought ashore to a naval base for joint analysis with U.S. experts.
South Korea hopes the investigation will provide further clues about the status of North Korea's missile development. Space and long-range missiles are largely based on the same technology.
North Korea admitted the technical failure shortly after the launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite on May 31.
The missile crashed into the sea about 200 kilometers west of South Korea's Eocheong Island. The military in Seoul had already stated at the time that they had pulled an object out of the water that was probably part of the ill-fated missile. The search for other parts continues.
The U.S., Japan and South Korea all condemned the failed launch, accusing Pyongyang of using technology directly related to its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program.
Despite a ban by U.N. resolutions, North Korea increased the scope of its tests with ballistic missiles, which – depending on their design – can also be equipped with a nuclear warhead. The country is largely isolated internationally and has paid little attention to the U.N.
