North Korea's embarrassing failure

According the state propagandists in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (or North Korea to the rest of us), this year was going to be big and glorious.

The launch of their ‘Bright Star’ satellite was just one part of a busy programme designed to celebrate the life of the Kim II Sung – the now departed founder of the nation, who celebrates his 100th ‘birthday’ on Sunday.

So, it was rather surprising to see this official admission of failure from the state’s news agency this morning:

Pyongyang, April 13. (KCNA) – the DPRK launched its first application satellite Kwanganyongsong-3 at the Sohae Satellite Launch Station in Cholsan Country, North Phyongan Province at 07:38:55 am on Friday.

The earth observation satellite failed to enter its present orbit.

Scientists, technicians and experts and now looking into the cause of the failure.  -0-

It certainly wasn’t part of the master-plan. As well as celebrating the ‘Eternal President’s anniversary’, the propagandists said 2012 would mark the ‘full-development’ of North Korea as a ‘strong and prosperous’ nation.

The successful launch of a satellite into space was, no doubt, a key part of the official narrative.

A squadron of foreign journalists had even been invited to ‘observe’ – albeit from a video-less conference room in a Pyongyang hotel. We’re told that their official ‘minders’ paced around the hotel nervously, refusing to answer questions after the rocket had hurtled back to earth.

So this glorious event has become an embarrassing failure – and it’s the not the first time they have had problems putting satellites into space – the North Koreans have failed in their previous three attempts in fact (in 1998, 2003, 2009). The difference this time however, is that the authorities admitted that their rocket didn’t get very far (about 150 km before crashing) – and that may represent a small shift towards openness.

Still, the politicians and military men in neighbouring South Korea, as well as in Japan and the US  will be anxious to know what the North Koreans – with their boyish new ‘supreme leader’ Kim Jong-un  (Kim ll Sung’s grandson) will get up to next.

The concern is a simple one – that the ‘hermit kingdom’ will attempt another demonstration of ‘strength’. After the last failed rocket attempt in 2009, the North Koreans conducted a nuclear weapons test.

Recent satellite images (from functioning western spacecraft) indicate they may be preparing to do the same thing.

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