North Korean rocket puts object into space, angers neighbors, US
International outcry and calls for increased sanctions from the United Nations Security Council follow the successful launch of a North Korean satellite into orbit using long range ballistic missile technology.
SEOUL/TOKYO - North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Sunday carrying what it has alledged is a satellite. However, North Korea's neighbours and Washington have denounced the launch as a missile test which has been conducted in defiance of UN sanctions, and just weeks after a nuclear bomb test.
The US Strategic Command reportedly detected a missile entering space, and South Korea's military said the rocket had put an object into orbit, quashing earlier media reports indicating that the rocket might have failed in flight.
North Korea said the launch of its satellite Kwangmyongsong-4, named after late leader Kim Jong Il, was a "complete success," and that it was making a polar orbit of the earth every 94 minutes. The launch order was given by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
North Korea's state TV carried still pictures of a white rocket lifting off, and also pictures of Kim surrounded by cheering military officials at what appeared to be a command centre.
North Korea's last long-range rocket launch, in 2012, put what it called a communications satellite into orbit, but no signal has ever been detected from it.
"Everything we have seen is consistent with a successful repeat of the 2012 (launch)," said US missile technology expert John Schilling.
"But it's still too early to tell for sure," said Schilling, who is involved in the "38 North" North Korean monitoring project at Johns Hopkins University.
The rocket was launched at around 9:30am Seoul time (12:30am GMT) in a southward trajectory, as planned. Japan's Fuji Television Network showed a streak of light heading into the sky, taken from a camera at China's border with North Korea.
North Korea had notified UN agencies that it planned to launch a rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite, triggering opposition from governments that see it as a long-range missile test.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the launch, at the request of the United States, Japan and South Korea, diplomats said.
The United States tracked the rocket launch and said it did not believe that it posed a threat to the United States or its allies, defense officials said.
Isolated North Korea had initially given a Feb. 8-25 time frame for the launch but on Saturday changed that to Feb. 7-14, apparently taking advantage of clear weather on Sunday.
North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration called the launch "an epochal event in developing the country's science, technology, economy and defense capability by legitimately exercising the right to use space for independent and peaceful purposes".
'Flagrant Violation'
The United States will work with the UN Security Council on "significant measures" to hold North Korea to account for its launch, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.
Calling the launch a flagrant violation of UN resolutions on North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology, Kerry reaffirmed "ironclad" US defense commitments to allies Japan and South Korea and called the launch a destabilizing and unacceptable challenge to peace and security.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye called the launch an unforgivable act of provocation. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said there will be stepped up effort with the United States, Japan and Australia on sanctions.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the launch "absolutely unacceptable", especially after North Korea had tested a nuclear device last month.
"We will respond resolutely, coordinating closely with the international community," he told reporters.
Japan had threatened to shoot down the rocket if it posed a direct threat, but in the end did not take any action, Japan's NHK reported.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the launch and urged North Korea to "halt its provocative actions".
China expressed regret and called on all sides to act cautiously and refrain from taking steps that might further raise tension on the Korean peninsula. Although China is North Korea's main ally, it disapproves of its nuclear weapons program. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement, "China expresses regret that North Korea, in spite of the pervasive opposition of the international community, insisted on using ballistic missile technology to carry out a launch."
North Korea has shown off two versions of a ballistic missile resembling a type that could reach the US West Coast, and
is believed to be working on miniaturising a nuclear warhead to mount on a missile.
Meanwhile, North Korea maintains that it has a sovereign right to pursue a space program.
