North Korea Launches rocket despite Warnings

[Flame_]

Well this sure is interesting. Looks like North Korea is at again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/world/asia/north-korea-launches-rocket-defying-world-warnings.html

SEOUL, South Korea — Defying weeks of international warnings of more censure and further sanctions, North Korea launched a rocket on Friday, which Washington feared was a cover for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that one day might be able to carry a nuclear warhead.
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The three-stage rocket, called the Unha-3, blasted off from the Soehae launch site near North Korea’s western corner with China, at about 7:39 a.m., said Kim Min-seok, spokesman for the South Korea Defense Ministry. There was no immediate announcement of the launch from the North, and there were unconfirmed indications that the rocket may have failed or malfunctioned.

“The South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are collecting further data to confirm whether the launch was successful or not,” Mr. Kim said.

North Korea had said the Unha or Galaxy rocket would fly southward, carrying its Kwangmyongsong-3 communications satellite, and has insisted the launch was for peaceful purposes. The North’s two previous attempts to put versions of Kwangmyongsong into orbit — one in 1998 and the second in 2009 — both failed to reach the required altitudes, according to experts.

South Korea, Japan and the Philippines — the countries near the North Korean rocket’s projected trajectory — were on heightened alert in case the launching went awry and might endanger their citizens or properties. Airlines and ships had been ordered to stay away from the rocket’s trajectory and the splashdown zones of its debris.

The article continues here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/world/asia/north-korea-launches-rocket-defying-world-warnings.html

 

[Okami Takahashi]

North Korea, Y U NO LISTEN?!

 

[Eredar Warlock]

Yup it launched...and then promptly burst into pieces.

US condemns North Korea's 'provocative' rocket launch | Fox News

Stay classy, North Korea. Your little "show of force" has turned you into a laughingstock.

 

[Robo-Floatzel]

The rocket launch failed because North Korea launched it on the morning of Friday the 13th (it was Friday the 13th there cause it's the other side of the world, and it's always one day ahead of the US in the Japan/China area)

For a more serious answer than that, they did not put enough science into building the rocket, China knows the countries residents are not that intelligent due to being isolated for so long (North Korea's only allies, if I remember right, are China and Iran) and the fact that they worship their leader as a god, and China refuses to give the psychotic nation any of their military technology (or at least a small amount of it) because they know that Kim is mentally unstable and will get trigger happy if he succeeds at attacking another nation, whether it's South Korea, Japan, or even the United States (and remember that attacking the United States is pretty much a death wish for any aspiring dictatorship), and the fact that successful attacking any nation that has a more powerful government than theirs would quickly lead to North Korea's downfall and eventual collapse. Attacking South Korea is one thing, but a successful attack off the United States coastline (September 11th anyone?) would be considered North Korea's way of committing suicide.

Kim Jong-Un, you're so dumb in comparison to your father!

 

[DerMißingno]

Hey guys, I found some rare footage of the rocket launch.

Spoiler

On a serious note, it's easy to make fun of them for their failure, but this kind of success rate is not too uncommon for early space faring countries. Considering they are getting basically no help from anyone and are pretty much starting rocketry from the ground up, this is pretty much to be expected. The Russians, the Americans, the Europeans, and pretty much everyone else who goes to space started the same way. Hell, in the late 50's, Soviet Russia's UN delegate jokingly offered to give the United States aide for developing countries after a string of American rocket failures.

It's rocket science people, shit's not easy.

 

[Bulletproof Scales]

This type of nonsense statisticly scare 21% of America underground into nuclear shelters. While somebody eagerly awaits the notion of an actual threat from just about any source. Sitting comfortable in your wealth, knowing NK won't ever get their shit straight, your best shot at punishing its crazy leaders must surely be cutting the food aid to the dying people on the streets..

 

[Dorothy]

Stay classy, North Korea. Your little "show of force" has turned you into a laughingstock.

Careful... I might have to infract you for implying they weren't already a laughingstock

 

[Ghetsis-Dennis]

If North Korea slowly improves on their rockets, they may be an actual threat to the U.N., and it'll be exactly like Homefront. Now I'm starting to fear for the worst.