North Korea's Long-Range Rocket 'A Success'

North Korea's controversial launch of a long-range rocket appears to have gone according to plan, South Korea's military has said.

The blast-off, which had been anticipated, defies critics who have warned the country wants to develop technology that would enable it to carry out a nuclear strike.

The impoverished North has said it simply wants to put a weather satellite into space, rather than carry out suspected ballistic missile tests, and it declared the mission a success.

It tried in April to launch a long-range rocket, but it broke apart shortly after lift off, crash-landing in the Yellow Sea. South Korea said the latest attempt - the second under leader Kim Jong-un - appeared to have broken up in three stages as planned.

The rocket, launched in northwest North Korea, passed over Japan's Okinawa

South Korean TV station YTN said the rocket was launched from a site on the northwest coast. Japan's government said it had passed over Okinawa - a trajectory predicted by the North - and was launched shortly before 1am UK time on Wednesday.

The development will further strain tensions in the region. South Korea, which is days away from presidential elections, has expressed "grave concern" and its president Lee Myung-Bak immediately called an emergency security meeting.

Sky's Asia correspondent Mark Stone said: "The reaction will be one of anger from the Americans, South Korea and the international community."

Pyongyang had announced that it was planning for a launch to take place by December 29, an extension on the previous deadline of December 21.

Japan's missile defences, pictured, have been on high alert

The country is banned from conducting missile and nuclear-related tests under UN sanctions imposed after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests. It is thought to have a handful of rudimentary nuclear bombs, but it is not yet believed to be capable of building warheads small enough to pin on a long-range missile.

Japan did not try to shoot down the latest rocket, its government said. Tokyo said it believed parts of the rocket had fallen into the sea off the Korean peninsula, with another part dropping into the ocean near the Philippines.

A spokesman for Japan's government called the launch "extremely regrettable", adding: "Our country cannot tolerate this. We strongly protest to North Korea."

Japan had been on high-alert since the launch window opened.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

North Korea's Long-Range Rocket 'A Success'

Dengan url

http://tampolantelak.blogspot.com/2012/12/north-koreas-long-range-rocket-success.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

North Korea's Long-Range Rocket 'A Success'

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

North Korea's Long-Range Rocket 'A Success'

sebagai sumbernya