The JCS said the military raised several key parts of the satellite and the rocket during the operation that was launched on May 31, the day the rocket with the satellite crashed, and ended earlier on Wednesday, the media reported. After analyzing the wreckage in cooperation with US experts, the South Korean military concluded that the salvaged derbies of the satellite had "no military utility."
In mid-June, the South Korean military recovered what was believed to be a part of the rocket's second stage. The military had expressed hope that the discovery could help shed light on the state of North Korea's long-range missile development program.
On May 31, North Korea unsuccessfully launched the Malligyong-1 military reconnaissance satellite mounted on the Chollima-1 carrier rocket. After the separation of the first stage, the engine of the second stage failed to ignite, causing the rocket to lose thrust and fall into the Yellow Sea, North Korea's space agency said.