North Korea successfully launches long-range rocket
North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket on Wednesday, in defiance of UN sanctions threats over what Pyongyang's critics have condemned as a disguised ballistic missile test.
North Korea said the three-stage rocket, which Pyongyang insists was solely aimed at placing a satellite in orbit, had achieved all its objectives.
"The launch of the second version of our Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite from the Sohae Space Centre on December 12 was successful," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
"The satellite has entered the orbit as planned," it added.
Officials in South Korea and Japan confirmed that all three stages of the rocket appeared to have separated as scheduled.
However, South Korean defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok cautioned that further analysis was required.
"There are many factors to determine whether it was successful or not. We need more extensive analysis." Kim told reporters.
There was no immediate comment from Washington. But Japan's government said it "cannot tolerate" the "extremely regrettable" launch.
In Seoul, President Lee Myung-Bak called an emergency meeting of his National Security Council to discuss the implications of the launch.
New leader Kim Jong-Un was believed to be extremely keen that the launch fell around the first anniversary of the death of his father and former leader Kim Jong-Il on December 17.
A previous launch of the same Unha-3 rocket in April had ended in failure, with the carrier exploding shortly after take-off.
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| A North Korean Unha-3 rocket is pictured at Tangachai -ri space center in April 2012. |
"The launch of the second version of our Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite from the Sohae Space Centre on December 12 was successful," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
"The satellite has entered the orbit as planned," it added.
Officials in South Korea and Japan confirmed that all three stages of the rocket appeared to have separated as scheduled.
However, South Korean defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok cautioned that further analysis was required.
"There are many factors to determine whether it was successful or not. We need more extensive analysis." Kim told reporters.
There was no immediate comment from Washington. But Japan's government said it "cannot tolerate" the "extremely regrettable" launch.
In Seoul, President Lee Myung-Bak called an emergency meeting of his National Security Council to discuss the implications of the launch.
New leader Kim Jong-Un was believed to be extremely keen that the launch fell around the first anniversary of the death of his father and former leader Kim Jong-Il on December 17.
A previous launch of the same Unha-3 rocket in April had ended in failure, with the carrier exploding shortly after take-off.
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