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North Korea launches long-range rocket

Green Zubat

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Can't believe no one's posted this yet ...

BBC News Asia said:
North Korea has launched a long-range rocket, South Korean news sources have reported.

A previous launch in April failed when the rocket broke up after take-off.

North Korea says it plans to put a satellite into space, but many countries believe the tests are a cover for weapons development.

The US and other nations had previously warned the launch would constitute a test of long-range missile technology banned under UN resolutions.

South Korean television network YTN said the rocket was launched from a site on the west coast of the North.

The Japanese government, which put its armed forces on alert ahead of the launch, said the missile appears to have passed over Okinawa.

It said it had not attempted to intercept the rocket.

The rocket was scheduled to pass between the Korean peninsula and China, with a second stage coming down off the Philippines before launching the satellite into orbit.

Source

What does everyone think. Is this something to be worried about? I'm a little anxious that this could be a precursor to a much greater conflict, personally ...

EDIT: Small update:

BBC News Asia said:
North Korea has successfully launched a long-range rocket, defying international warnings.

The Unha-3 rocket, launched at 09:49 local time (00:49 GMT), appears to have followed its planned trajectory, with stages falling in expected areas.

North Korea says a satellite has been placed in orbit; the US confirmed an object had been put into space.

South Korea, the US and Japan have condemned the launch as a disguised test of long-range missile technology.

A UN resolution passed in June 2009 after North Korea's second nuclear test banned Pyongyang from ballistic missile tests.

The US called it a "highly provocative act that threatens regional security", while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it was a "clear violation" of the UN resolution.

Japan has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Reports suggested this could take place later on Wednesday.

The launch comes a week ahead of the South Korean presidential election and roughly a year after the death of leader Kim Jong-il, on 17 December 2011.

The three-stage rocket was launched from a site on North Korea's west coast.

"The launch of the second version of our Kwangmyongsong-3 [Unha-3] satellite from the Sohae Space Centre... on December 12 was successful," state news agency KCNA said. "The satellite has entered the orbit as planned."

The rocket had been scheduled to pass between the Korean peninsula and China, with a second stage coming down off the Philippines.

"The missile was tracked on a southerly azimuth [angle]. Initial indications are that the first stage fell into the Yellow Sea," a North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) statement said.

"The second stage was assessed to fall into the Philippine Sea. Initial indications are that the missile deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit."

Most media outlets from South Korea, Japan and China reported the rocket launch at least an hour before Pyongyang's state-run news agency KCNA and the national radio station.

Most TV stations and news portals described the timing as "unexpected", with China's Xinhua news agency an exception.

Xinhua published a commentary a few hours after the launch and defended North Korea's "right to conduct peaceful exploration" of outer space.

After reporting the launch, South Korean and Japanese media quoted officials of the two countries who were sharply critical of it.

The Japanese government, which put its armed forces on alert ahead of the launch, said the rocket had passed over parts of Okinawa prefecture, south of the Japanese mainland.

"The missile that North Korea calls a satellite passed over Okinawa around 10:01. We launched no interception," a government statement quoted by AFP news agency said.

Japan had threatened to shoot down any debris which infringed on its territory, deploying naval vessels and land-based missile interceptors.

Its top government spokesman called the launch "extremely regrettable" and something that Japan "cannot tolerate".

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, meanwhile, called an emergency meeting of his top advisers. His foreign minister said the government strongly condemned the launch.

The US called the launch another "example of North Korea's pattern of irresponsible behaviour".


Japan said the rocket passed over its territory, but it did not shoot it down
In China - which is North Korea's closest ally - Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei expressed "regret" at the launch. A commentary from state-run Xinhua news agency called on all parties to remain "cool headed" and engage in "trust-building measures".

North Korea had said two days ago that the launch could be delayed because of a technical problem, extending the window until 29 December.

South Korea, the US and other nations had urged North Korea not to go ahead, warning that it would constitute a test of long-range missile technology banned by the UN.

Washington and its allies say the rocket launches represent banned missile tests because the basic technology is the same.

It has not previously successfully launched a three-stage rocket. Its most recent test, in April 2012, ended in failure, when the rocket flew for only a few minutes before exploding and crashing into the sea west of the Korean peninsula.

The closed communist nation has also carried out two nuclear tests, in 2006 and 2009. International talks on ending its nuclear ambitions have been stalled for several years.

Officials fear it could be working towards a missile on which a nuclear warhead could be mounted - but it is not thought to have fully developed either the missile or the warheads yet

Lucy Williamson said:
Analysis

North Korea's "satellite launch" has come as a surprise on two counts. The first is that it came unannounced, just two days after Pyongyang extended its launch window, citing a "technical deficiency" in the first stage of its rocket.

The second is that it seems to have been a success. Both North Korea and US analysts seems to agree that the launch was indeed successful and that the rocket placed the satellite into orbit.

That is a vast improvement on North Korea's previous launch attempt in April, when the rocket fell apart into the sea moments after take-off.

Crucially, too, this is the first time that North Korea's claims of success have been backed by key international observers. But the technical success of the launch is about the only thing that Pyongyang and Washington agree on.

The US and its allies allege that North Korea's satellite launches are in fact cover for a long-range missile programme, designed to develop weapons that could strike the US.

Source
 
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I say congrats North Korea. I'm willing to congratulate any country that joins the space faring community, it's not an easy thing to do (rocket science and all that).

As far as the whole ICBM thing goes, the United States has minuteman rockets armed with nuclear weapons that can be launched to any place on the planet at a moment's notice, and I'm pretty sure that's common knowledge in Pyongyang. If I were Korean or Japanese maybe I'd be slightly more worried, but we know that they already had medium range ballistic missiles which could reach those places so I don't really see how this adds to the threat.
 
North Korea's been rambling about war for years, so the international community is right to be on edge. However, as it stands they're a minimal threat at best. Best to keep an eye on them, but I wouldn't worry too much.
 
I'm surprised that they actually succeeded, and I'm even MORE surprised that it actually WAS a satellite launch and not an attack rocket. But we're not sure what KIND of satellite they have put into space, we have no idea if this is just their Sputnik or a spy satellite to spy on America and it's allies, only time will tell what Kim Jong-Un and his cronies have planned...

North Korea's been rambling about war for years, so the international community is right to be on edge. However, as it stands they're a minimal threat at best. Best to keep an eye on them, but I wouldn't worry too much.

North Korea is and has been obsessed with war for over 65 years, there have been people who have compared it to Nazi Germany in the past, alongside it's buddy Iran, both just want "Death to America".
 
North Korea's been rambling about war for years, so the international community is right to be on edge. However, as it stands they're a minimal threat at best. Best to keep an eye on them, but I wouldn't worry too much.

North Korea is and has been obsessed with war for over 65 years, there have been people who have compared it to Nazi Germany in the past, alongside it's buddy Iran, both just want "Death to America".

Most of that is just hollow rhetoric, though, to condition the people to hate the West and America in particular. They're not stupid enough to pick a fight anytime soon.
 
North Korea is and has been obsessed with war for over 65 years, there have been people who have compared it to Nazi Germany in the past, alongside it's buddy Iran, both just want "Death to America".

Everything has been compared to Nazis though. Nazi comparisons are OU to the point of meaninglessness.
 
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