The South Korean military on Wednesday said it has retrieved the wreckage of a North Korean spy satellite that was launched in May but fell into the Yellow Sea, concluding it has "no military utility."

South Korean and U.S. experts conducted an analysis of the wreckage and found that the satellite was not capable of being used for military reconnaissance, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

File photo taken in June 2023 shows debris of a North Korean projectile shown to the media at a South Korean Navy facility in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. (For editorial use only)(Yonhap/Kyodo)

North Korea tried unsuccessfully to put what it called a military reconnaissance satellite into space orbit on May 31.

Pyongyang admitted the same day that the satellite launch failed but pledged to make another attempt "as soon as possible," according to the country's state media.

People watch news on a TV screen at Seoul Station in South Korea on May 31, 2023, after North Korea fired what it claims to be a rocket carrying a spy satellite. (Kyodo)

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