North Korea successfully launched its long-range rocket on Wednesday,
indicating major progress in its capability to deliver nuclear weapons as far as
the mainland United States.
The provocation prompted condemnations from
the international community including South Korea, the U.S., Japan and the
European Union. China, its traditional ally, expressed regret.
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North Korea’s
Unha-3 long-range rocket ready for launch in Dongchang-ri, North Pyongan
Province. (Yonhap News) |
The Unha-3
rocket blasted off from the Dongchang-ri site in the North‘s northwest at 9:49
a.m., officials said. Its first stage fell into the Yellow Sea off South Korea’s
west coast, and the second stage landed in waters near the Philippines, they
said.
North Korea claimed that it successfully fired the rocket and put
its satellite into orbit.
“The second version of satellite
Kwangmyongsong-3 successfully lifted off from Sohae Space Center by carrier
rocket Unha-3 on Wednesday,” the official Korean Central News Agency said. “The
satellite entered its preset orbit.”
The success will pose a serious
threat to security in Northeast Asia and the U.S. as North Korea has apparently
gained the long-range firing capability to reach the U.S. mainland, analysts
said. Experts have warned the Unha-3 rocket is believed to have a range of some
10,000 kilometers.
North Korea’s long-range rocket launch marks the
second this year, following the test-fire of a rocket in April.
The
launch came a week before North Korea marks the first anniversary of the death
of late leader Kim Jong-il, father of current leader Kim Jong-un. It also came
ahead of South Korea‘s Dec. 19 presidential election, spurring speculation that
Pyongyang is attempting to sway the tight race for Seoul’s top
office.
“The missile’s loaded object has apparently entered into orbit.
But we still have to see whether it will operate properly,” Kim Min-seok,
spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, told the press.
“We believe that
the North fired the missile to show that the Kim Jong-un regime is in firm
control and stable.”
The North American Aerospace Defense Command
earlier commented on the launch.
“Initial indications are that the (North
Korean) missile deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit. At no time
was the missile or the resultant debris a threat to North America,” the North
American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement.
North Korea has
claimed the planned launch was aimed at putting a satellite into
orbit.
But South Korea, the United States, China and other countries have
denounced it as a disguised ballistic missile test and a violation of U.N.
Security Council resolutions that ban Pyongyang from any ballistic activity
because it can be used to develop missiles capable of carrying nuclear
weapons.
South Korea said it “strongly condemns” the firing as a
violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions while warning that the communist
nation will have to “take full responsibility” for the violation and face deeper
isolation from the international community.
“North Korea‘s launch this
time will only result in the deepening of its isolation from the international
community,” Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said, reading a government statement
issued after an emergency National Security Council meeting.
“The
government yet again urges North Korea to divert the enormous financial
resources wasted on the development of nuclear weapons and missiles to
addressing the pressing issue of taking care of the everyday lives of its
citizens,” Kim said.
The launch was widely unexpected by the
international community as intelligence sources had indicated that it may be
disassembling its rocket to fix technical problems.
North Korea recently
announced that it was extending the launch window to Dec. 29, from Dec. 22.
Analysts expected that it would take about a week to restage its three-stage
rocket and fire around Dec. 17 ahead of South Korea’s presidential
election.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said that the radar systems of its
naval destroyers detected the rocket launch from 9:51 to 9:58 a.m.
“Our
Sejong the Great Class destroyer deployed in the West Sea first detected North
Korea’s long-range missile at 9:51 and 20 seconds,” Kim said.
Its fleet
of Aegis destroyers continued to track the missile, whose first stage separated
at 9:52, then captured it rocketing over the sky of Baengnyeong Island at
9:53.
Its radar followed the missile until it passed over Japan’s Okinawa
at 9:58.
The ministry spokesperson said it was out of its “ability” to track
the missile after 9:58 when it flew out of South Korea’s territory, and that it
had to consult with its U.S. ally for further information.
The ministry
added that it will not disclose the activity of its search for the rocket debris
that fell in its territory.
“We are maintaining our Watchcon (2) and
raised the Jindotgae alert to 2,” Kim said. Jindotgae is an alert raised when
South Korea expects threats from the North.
South Korea’s defense
officials have been calling North Korea’s rocket a missile as they are
technologically the same, simply carrying a different payload. They claim the
launch is likely a cover for an intercontinental ballistic missile test.
Analysts said it has the capability to target as far as Los Angeles in the
U.S.
The Defense Ministry said that it has monitored and sensed North
Korea preparing the launch since Tuesday from its Joint Chiefs of Staff’s
command center as the media and opposition political parties highlighted
“security holes” in the armed forces’ intelligence system.
The ministry
emphasized that it had never verified any news reports that North Korea was
moving to disassemble its rocket to fix technical problems, and reiterated that
it detected North Korea getting ready for launch on Tuesday.
It was
expected that North Korea would fire the rocket around Dec. 17 aimed in part at
tipping South Korea’s presidential election in its favor, as well as to mark the
first anniversary of death of Kim Jong-il. Some suggested that it might even
delay the launch to spring of next year.
Analysts speculated that the
North may have pushed forward the launch on Wednesday due to favorable weather
conditions. The North’s Dongchang-ri launch site had clear skies with a
temperature of around minus 8 degrees Celsius.
“Weather is an important
factor for rocket launches as it could affect its electronic and control
systems,” said Chang Young-keun, a rocket science expert at Korea Aerospace
University.
Chang also noted that experience in rocket launching is
another important factor, adding that North Korea far exceeds the South in this
area including long-range liquid-fuel rocket technology development.