A North Korean propaganda outlet on Saturday described South Korea's "half-success" launch of its first homegrown rocket as "a definite failure", saying the South has a long way to go before proving its launch capabilities.
Quoting what it claims to be "comments from South Korean and foreign experts", the Echo of Unification, the anti-Seoul propaganda outlet, reported that the ultimate goal of the rocket launch was to send the dummy satellite into the orbit, which Nuri, or the Korea Space Launch Vehicle II, failed to accomplish during last week's launch, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The Nuri rocket was successfully launched from the country's southwest coast on October 21, flying to a target altitude of 700 km. But it failed to put its 1.5-tonne dummy satellite into orbit.
South Korea plans to conduct another launch of the Nuri space rocket next year. It is the first time a North Korean media outlet has run a report on the Nuri rocket launch.
Citing another expert, the outlet said that "the technological skills of Nuri are still 10 to 20 years behind", and that the South has "a long way to go before it proves its launching ability and competitiveness".
N.Korea seen preparing to reopen border with China
Meanwhile, North Korea appears to be making preparations to reopen its train routes with China after a period of Covid-19-induced border controls, Seoul officials said on Friday.
Cha Duck-chul, deputy spokesperson of the Unification Ministry, said that South Korea has detected signs indicating preparations for a trade resumption in the regions bordering China, such as the construction of a quarantine facility, reports Yonhap News Agency.
On Thursday, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported to lawmakers that the North is in talks with China and Russia to resume train operations across the border, and that those connecting Sinuiju and Dandong, border cities of the North and China, respectively, could resume as early as in November.
"It's hard to predict the exact date of their resumption. We will continue closely monitoring related movements," Cha told a press briefing.
The North has recently reopened its sea routes to receive international organizations' medical supplies and other goods necessary for its citizens following a prolonged Covid-19 lockdown, which is thought to have taken a toll on its economy already hit by crippling sanctions.
