North Korea’s Botched Satellite Launch Alarms Seoul

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at North Korea’s failed spy satellite launch, the Sudanese army’s withdrawal from key cease-fire talks, and Uruguay’s dwindling water supply.

North Korea’s attempt to launch a military spy satellite on Wednesday morning failed when the rocket carrying the satellite malfunctioned and plummeted into the Yellow Sea between South Korea and China. The botched launch sparked confusion and alarm in Seoul, where residents received government-issued emergency alerts on their cell phones instructing them to prepare for a possible evacuation amid ringing air raid sirens. For roughly 20 minutes, uncertainty engulfed the city until officials said that their initial notice had been a “false alert.” It wasn’t just Seoul that was on high alert, either; Tokyo also sent evacuation warnings to residents on Okinawa Island.

But in South Korea, Wednesday’s disorder has intensified scrutiny on the government’s emergency preparedness, with Seoul residents decrying the confusion and opposition leaders criticizing the Yoon administration’s handling of the incident. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon later apologized and stressed that the government would work to improve its approach. While the government may have overreacted in issuing emergency warnings, he said, “there can be no compromise on safety.”

North Korea’s attempted launch drew sharp criticism from Japan, South Korea, and the United States, with the Japanese foreign ministry declaring that the three countries would “stay vigilant with high sense of urgency.” The United Nations Security Council also condemned the attempt, adding that “any launch using ballistic missile technology is contrary to the relevant Security Council resolutions.” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has insisted that a reconnaissance satellite is key to guarding against Washington and Seoul. North Korea vowed to try again, declaring that the launch’s “serious defects” would be investigated and fixed so that a second attempt could be made “as soon as possible.”

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Sudan’s crumbling cease-fire talks. Sudan’s army has left Saudi- and U.S.-brokered negotiations focused on mediating a cease-fire and enabling humanitarian access with a rival group, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudanese officials announced on Wednesday. The army has accused the RSF of not administering the terms of the short-term cease-fire and breaching the agreement; the RSF, in turn, said it “unconditionally backs the Saudi-U.S. initiative” despite the army’s violations.

The army’s withdrawal has heightened concerns about the country’s deteriorating humanitarian situation. Since hostilities erupted in April, more than 1.2 million people have been internally displaced, according to U.N. estimates.

Kosovo unrest. NATO has announced plans to deploy 700 troops to northern Kosovo, adding to some 3,800 troops already there as part of a NATO-led peacekeeping mission. The deployment was ordered amid unrest resulting from demonstrations against ethnic Albanian mayors holding office in Serb-majority areas. On Monday, around 25 NATO soldiers and 52 Serbs were injured after violent clashes erupted.

European leaders have urged efforts to quell the crisis. “The current situation is dangerous and unsustainable,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. “We need urgent de-escalation.”

Uruguay’s dwindling water. Uruguay is in the throes of an acute drinking water crisis as it grapples with a prolonged drought and extreme weather conditions. The country is facing its most severe water deficit in 74 years, according to officials, and its capital city’s main reservoir holds less than 10 days’ worth of water.

The water shortage has forced officials to subsidize bottled water and even seek authorization to surpass the maximum legal quantities of sodium in public tap water, resulting in levels that are over double the World Health Organization’s guidance.

An Indian government official who accidentally dropped his cell phone into a reservoir while taking a selfie was so desperate to recover the device that he ordered the reservoir to be drained of more than 525,000 gallons of water. He was later suspended for taking such extreme measures—and, after all that trouble, his waterlogged phone didn’t even turn on.