The recovery of debris from North Korea’s Chollima-1 space launch vehicle from the Yellow Sea following its failed launch last Wednesday is facing a delay due to strong currents and poor visibility.

Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said on Monday that while the military has distinguished the object presumed to be a part of the rocket, it is difficult to forecast the timing of the recovery due to changing maritime conditions.

Following the North's failed launch of what it claimed was a space launch vehicle carrying the Malligyong-1 military spy satellite, the South Korean military tied a lift bag to the detected floating matter some 200 kilometers west of Eocheong Island before it sank to the seabed.

The military says the debris is about 15 meters long, half the projectile's entire length.

The 35-hundred ton Tongyeong and Gwangyang tug and salvage vessels and the 32-hundred ton Cheonghaejin submarine rescue ship as well as several aircraft have been deployed to participate in the recovery efforts.