North Korea Rocket Explodes in Flight and Deals Blow to Kim’s Satellite Plans
- Third failure since last year to place spy satellite in orbit
- Putin pledged to help Kim with his plans for spy satellites
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A North Korean rocket carrying a spy satellite blew up shortly after liftoff in a setback for leader Kim Jong Un, who went to Russia last year seeking help to place an array of reconnaissance probes into orbit.
Video footage provided by South Korea’s military and Japanese public broadcaster NHK purportedly showed the rocket breaking up in a fireball after its launch on Monday night. Debris from the rocket landed in waters off North Korea’s west coast, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.