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29 March 2024

North Korea could go for nuclear tests: S.Korea

Published
By Agencies

North Korea is likely to stage military provocation against the South following its failed long-range rocket launch on Friday, a senior South Korean defence ministry official said.

"The possibility of an additional long-range rocket launch or a nuclear test, as well as a military provocation to strengthen internal solidarity is very high," a defence ministry official told a parliamentary hearing.

There were no specific indications of military actions from North Korea, the official added. 

S. Korea searching for rocket debris

South Korea's navy on Friday launched a salvage operation to retrieve the debris from North Korea's failed rocket launch, a military spokesman said Friday.

"We've located where the debris landed and we're making efforts to salvage it," the Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman told AFP.

The announcement came despite a warning from the North last week not to attempt such an operation.

"If anyone... attempts to shoot down or to salvage our space rocket debris, we would retaliate ruthlessly," Pyongyang's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, in charge of inter-Korean ties, had said.

Yonhap news agency said more than a dozen South Korean navy ships, many of them equipped with sonar and backed by divers, were combing the area.

"We believe some large chunks are lying on the sea bed," the spokesman said.

The depth of the sea is between 70 and 100m (230 and 330 feet) making it feasible to retrieve large chunks of debris, Yonhap said.