More debris from N.Korean rocket launched Dec. 12 found

More pieces of debris from North Korea’s long-range rocket launched Dec. 12 have been retrieved, an official of the South Korean Defense Ministry announced Sunday.

The fuel tank, a lower part of the tank and a ring that connects the tank to the engine were collected Friday in waters 150 kilometers west of the Byeonsan Peninsula and 85 meters underwater, according to the official.

All of the debris collected Friday were components of the rocket`s first stage. Military authorities said the number three was inscribed in the severely distorted surface of the fuel tank, indicating that it was part of the North`s Unha 3 rocket. The South Korean Navy retrieved an oxidizer tank of the first-stage rocket Dec. 14 in the same waters.

An analysis of the remaining oxidizer in the tank found that the North used red fuming nitric acid (RFNA) as oxidizer, which can be stored for a long time at room temperature. A military official said, “Pyongyang uses RFNA as oxidizer for its Rodong and Scud missiles, but RFNA is not used for civilian rockets because it is a highly toxic substance. Therefore, RFNA proves that the North has developed not a satellite but an intercontinental ballistic missile,” adding that the type of the oxidizer tank was similar to the one used for a missile developed by Iran.

Research by the South Korean military also found that North Korea apparently secured rocket technology that can send a 500-kilogram warhead more than 10,000 kilometers away.

ysh1005@donga.com