North Korea Launches Rocket, Defying World Pressure

The rocket flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese broadcaster NHK said, citing its government.

"Our primary concern is to confirm safety and gather information," Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso told a news BREAKING NEWS — North Korea defiantly carried out a provocative rocket launch Sunday that the U.S., Japan and other nations suspect was a cover for a test of its More..long-range missile technology.

Liftoff took place at 10:30 p.m. EDT Saturday from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in northeastern North Korea, the South Korean government said. In Washington, the State Department also confirmed the launch.

"We look on this as a provocative act," U.S. State Department spokesman Fred Lash said.

The launch "will prompt the United States to take appropriate steps to let North Korea know that it cannot threaten the safety and security of other countries with impunity," Lash said."North's Korea's development, deployment and proliferation of missiles, ballistic missile-related materials, equipment and technologies pose a serious threat to the northeast Asia region and to the international community," Lash said.conference at his Tokyo office Sunday.

Japan is requesting an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to deal with North Korea's rocket launch.

Spokesman Yutaka Arima says Japan's United Nations mission asked for a meeting of the 15-nation council Sunday.

The request must be approved by Mexico's mission to the U.N., which holds the council presidency this monthU.N. diplomats are discussing ways to affirm existing sanctions on North Korea against its nuclear program and long-range missile tests.

Resisting calls from President Barack Obama, Aso and Hu Jintao of China to call off the launch, North Korea had announced Saturday that preparations were complete to send communications satellite Kwangmyongsong-2 on a multistage rocket bound for the skies over Japan.

Tokyo deployed warships and Patriot missile interceptors off its northern coast to shoot down any debris that the North said might fall over the area.

U.S. and South Korean warships equipped with missile interceptors also plied the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan to monitor the launch.

Russia, meanwhile, scrambled fighter jets to its Far East in case any debris hits its territory, Russian news reports said.

North Korea pushed ahead with the launch despite mounting international pressure to cancel a liftoff Obama warned Friday would be a "provocative" act.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan said earlier in the week they would take North Korea to the U.N. Security Council for an act they say is banned under a 2006 resolution barring Pyongyang from ballistic activity.

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Added: Apr 4 2009 In: news_politics

By: 3v1ld34d Premium

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I'm hoping that new 747 with the laser blasts that bastard out the sky

Posted Jul-2-2009 by "southcoastdub" (R)

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Quoted comment by Gmmr04: Cut off aid and they'll fall apart. No fuel. No money. No food.

so true

Posted Jul-8-2009 by "dazza_480" (R)

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Cut off aid and they'll fall apart. No fuel. No money. No food.

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "Gmmr04" (R)

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Obama: "Don't you dare! There will be repercussions!"

Kim Jong Il: "**** you! Prove it. Yeah, that's what I thought."

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "jsczerby" (R)

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Just trying to blackmail the entire world. **** you.

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "Gmmr04" (R)

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We all know tha Obama will say no no and send millions to them. Just nuke them and lets have lunch

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "kurtiskimble" (R)

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http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=487_1190418235

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "xmas_one" (R)

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I haven't seen anything that says it "landed in the ocean", only that the booster stages did.

If it did though, congrats to the North Koreans
for the first successful launch of an underwater
satellite.

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "Giant_Trevally" (R)

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Quoted comment by Gmmr04: Cut off aid and they'll fall apart. No fuel. No money. No food.

The people are already in that position. The government is getting by.

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "Giant_Trevally" (R)

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Quoted comment by AmericanTitan: They want attention.

Pretty much. Every time world attention turns from NK for more than a few months at a time, they launch a tantrum....or a missile.

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "Giant_Trevally" (R)

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Quoted comment by Giant_Trevally:
Quoted comment by Gmmr04: Cut off aid and they'll fall apart. No fuel. No money. No food.

The people are already in that position. The government is getting by.

It wouldnt suprise me if half of the products that are labeled "made in china" are actually made in North Korea with slave labor and then just shipped across the border to China.

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "bongabonga99" (B)

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f**k north korea. cut off aid to them, put an embargo on chinese goods and wait it out. if that don't work nuke the whole boatload of them.

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "wayneh" (R)

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Just great, now Iran will probably place an order for 200 Taipodong components on Monday morning seeing as the latest missile has worked correctly. They will be smuggled into the country disguised as cooking pots delivered by container ship.
Kwangmyongsong my ass, shits going ****o bazoo now.

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "Daniel_Epstein" (B)

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So? What did it do? But spern paranoia in the world it had a nuclear warhead on it LOL...And the rocket did exactly what it was suppused to do...It launched a satillite...That other countries have thousands of. It is amazing they could after all the sanctions put on North Korea. LOL Well done for them that other countries can do also so what>?

Doom

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "Demslaq" (B)

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whatever
blast'm anyways

Posted Apr-5-2009 by "rlnbns" (R)

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