North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Sunday carrying what it called a satellite, but its neighbours and the US denounced the launch as a missile test, conducted in defiance of UN sanctions and just weeks after a nuclear bomb test.
The US Strategic Command said it had detected a missile entering space, and South Korea’s military said the rocket had put an object into orbit.
The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the launch, at the request of the US, Japan and South Korea, diplomats said.
North Korea said the launch of the satellite Kwangmyongsong-4, named after late leader Kim Jong Il, was a “complete success” and it was making a polar orbit of Earth every 94 minutes.
The launch prompted South Korea and the US to announce that they would explore the feasibility of deploying an advanced missile defence system in South Korea, which China and Russia both oppose, “at the earliest possible date.”
North Korea’s state news agency carried a still picture of a white rocket that closely resembled a previously launched rocket, lifting off. Another showed 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.
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.
Isolated North Korea had initially given a February 8-25 time frame for the launch but on Saturday changed that to Feb. 7-14, apparently taking advantage of clear weather on Sunday.
New missile defence?
South Korea and the US said that if the advanced missile defence system called Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) was deployed to South Korea, it would be focused only on North Korea.
South Korea had been reluctant to discuss openly the possibility of deploying THAAD.
China, South Korea’s biggest trading partner, repeated what it says is “deep concern” about a system whose radar could penetrate its territory.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States would work with the UN Security Council on “significant measures” to hold North Korea to account for what he called a flagrant violation of UN resolutions on North Korea’s use of ballistic missile technology.
China expressed regret over the launch and called on all sides to act cautiously and refrain from steps that might raise tension. China’s Foreign Ministry said late on Sunday that it had summoned the North Korean ambassador to “make representations and make clear China’s principled position.”
China is North Korea’s main ally, but it disapproves of its nuclear weapons programme.
Russia, which has in recent years forged closer ties with North Korea, said the launch could not but provoke a “decisive protest,” adding Pyongyang had once again demonstrated a disregard for norms of international law.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the launch and urged North Korea to “halt its provocative actions.”
