The debris was salvaged on Thursday evening from the seabed about 75 metres (246 feet) below the surface off the west coast, the military said, adding that the search continued for additional objects from what the North said was a space launch vehicle.

The debris was salvaged on Thursday evening from the seabed about 75 metres (246 feet) below the surface off the west coast, the military said, adding that the search continued for additional objects from what the North said was a space launch vehicle.

South Korea began retrieving debris shortly after the launch, and had already recovered smaller parts. But the operation had faced difficulties partly because of a strong tide and bad visibility, prompting the military to dispatch 10 vessels and dozens of deep-sea divers.

Photographs released by the Joint Chiefs of Staff showed a large cylindrical object marked “Chonma,” meaning a winged horse in Korean. North Korea had said the rocket was named “Chollima-1.”