North Korea said on Wednesday that the launch of a space launch vehicle ended prematurely as it fell into the Yellow Sea after an abnormal flight.

In a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Wednesday, the National Aerospace Development Administration said that it launched the new Chollima-1 satellite launch rocket carrying a military spy satellite at 6:27 a.m. from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in North Pyongan Province.

The KCNA said that after the first-stage separation, the rocket fell into western waters due to a failure in the second-stage engine system.

A spokesperson from the space agency said that the cause of the failure appears to be the inadequate reliability and stability of the new engine system as well as unstable fuel, and scientists and engineers have begun an investigation to identify the exact cause.

The administration reportedly said that the North will conduct a second attempt to launch the satellite as soon as possible after the grave defects have been addressed following the review.

[Photo : YONHAP News]