NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR TEST: North to test more missiles

May 26, 2009

NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR TEST

North to test more missiles

		North Korea is preparing to test-fire short-range missiles in the Yellow Sea, one day after it staged a nuclear test. -- PHOTO: AFP

SEOUL - NORTH Korea is preparing to test-fire short-range missiles in the Yellow Sea, one day after it staged a nuclear test, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday.

'North Korea has declared an off-limits area for vessels in the Yellow Sea off Jungsan county in South Pyongan province,' it quoted a Seoul government source as saying.

'The North is likely to fire short-range missiles today or tomorrow.' Jungsan is about 40km west of Pyongyang.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it could not comment on intelligence matters.

The North on Monday staged its second underground nuclear test, with an explosive force much larger than the first in October 2006.

It also fired three short-range ground-to-air missiles from locations near its east coast, Seoul's military said.

Several times in recent years, the North has test-fired ground-to-ship or ship-to-ship missiles in either the Yellow Sea or the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

The launches are often staged to coincide with periods of regional tension.

Yonhap said the North is preparing to launch ground-to-ship missiles with a range of 160 km (100 miles), which use technology based on China's Silkworm missiles.

The South summoned an emergency meeting of top military commanders to review its defence posture, a Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman said.

The meeting would stress the need to heighten vigilance against the North's 'militarily provocative acts,' the spokesman told AFP. -- AFP

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UN: It's a 'clear violation'

May 26, 2009

NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR TEST

UN: It's a 'clear violation'

The United Nations Security Council meeting on North Korea's missile launch at the UN headquarters Monday, April 13, 2009. -- PHOTO: AP

LATEST: US President Barack Obama spoke by phone on Monday with his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso to 'coordinate' reaction to North Korea’s nuclear test, the White House said.

VIDEO N. Korea holds nuclear test (2:10) World reactions SOUTH Korea put its military on alert and world powers frustrated by failed diplomatic efforts to rein in Pyongyang demanded a firm response. Even China, the secretive North's closest international ally, expressed 'resolute opposition.' Compounding the frustration among world leaders, the nuclear detonation came amid reports that Pyongyang also tested a short-range missile. ... more What does a resolution mean? CLOSED-DOOR negotiations on a resolution will begin on Tuesday and can be expected to take at least several days before the 15-nation council has a draft ready to vote on. WHAT IS A RESOLUTION? A Security Council resolution is a decision by the council that is generally considered to be legally binding. In order to be approved, it must have nine or more votes in favour and no vetoes by the five permanent members - the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia. ... more

UNITED NATIONS - THE UN Security Council on Monday unanimously condemned North Korea for violating the world body's resolutions by testing a nuclear bomb, council president Vitaly Churkin of Russia said.

'The members of the Security Council voiced their strong opposition and condemnation of the nuclear test conducted on 25 May 2009 by North Korea, which constitutes a clear violation of (UN) Resolution 1718,' Mr Churkin told reporters following an emergency meeting of the 15-member council.

Member states also decided to immediately begin working on a Security Council resolution to address North Korea's latest test, Mr Churkin said.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, said 'the US thinks this is a grave violation of international law, and a threat to regional and international peace and security.

'And therefore, the United States will seek a strong resolution with strong measures,' she added. 'We believe it ought to be a strong resolution with appropriately strong contents, but obviously unless and until we complete the negotiation process, it is premature to say what its contents will be.'

The emergency meeting began around 4.30pm (4.30am Singapore time), half an hour behind schedule.

It was preceded by a 'P5 + 2' session between the five permanent veto-wielding members of the Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Japan and South Korea, two of the countries involved in six-party talks aimed at shuttering Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Hours earlier, North Korea conducted its test - an underground blast far bigger than its first nuclear test in 2006 - drawing stern rebukes from global leaders, with US President Barack Obama warning of 'grave' danger and Israel stressing 'negative implications' in the Middle East.

The main powers on the Security Council all strongly condemned North Korea with France urging sanctions against Kim Jong-Il's Stalinist administration, as foreign ministers from Asia and Europe began two days of talks. -- AFP

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Nuke test a 'threat': Obama

May 25, 2009

N.KOREA CONDUCTS NUCLEAR TEST

Nuke test a 'threat': Obama

Obama says tests 'recklessly challenge international community'

Second nuclear test follows one in Oct 2006

Pyongyang says needs nuclear arsenal in hostile world

		Mr Obama (left) said: 'North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community.' --PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON - US PRESIDENT Barack Obama said on Monday that North Korea's nuclear and missile tests were a 'matter of grave concern to all nations' and warranted action by the international community.

Mr Obama, in a statement after Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test and reportedly fired a short-range missile, said: 'North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community. North Korea's behaviour increases tensions and undermines stability in Northeast Asia.'

VIDEO N. Korea holds nuclear test (2:10)

The nuclear test was Pyongyang's second - its first was in Oct 2006 - and came just two months after North Korea launched a rocket believed to be a test of its long-range missile capability. Pyongyang said it had put a communications satellite into space.

'North Korea's attempts to develop nuclear weapons, as well as its ballistic missile programme, constitute a threat to international peace and security,' said Mr Obama, adding that Washington would work through the UN Security Council and the six-party talks on North Korea to address the issue.

'North Korea's attempts to develop nuclear weapons, as well as its ballistic missile programme, constitute a threat to international peace and security,' he said.

A US State Department official said earlier the United States was still analysing data from the test. The (US) Geological Survey confirmed that a seismic event took place consistent with a test, the official said on condition of anonymity.

'We are consulting with our six-party and UN Security Council partners on next steps,' the official added. Under the so-called 'six-party' talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, North Korea committed in 2005 to abandon all its nuclear programmes.

North Korea said it successfully conducted a nuclear test on Monday, a move certain to further isolate the prickly state, which argues it has no choice but to build an atomic arsenal to protect itself in a hostile world.

The latest test follows years of on-off negotiations with regional powers, which have been pressing the impoverished state to give up its nuclear ambitions in return for massive aid and an end to the country's pariah status. -- REUTERS

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N.Korea conducts nuclear tests: Security Council to meet

May 25, 2009

N.Korea conducts nuclear tests

Security Council to meet

		The meeting was requested by Japan's UN Ambassador Yukio Takasu following a North Korean claim that it had conducted a nuclear test. --PHOTO: AP

UNITED NATIONS - THE UN Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss North Korea's claim of a nuclear test, the Japanese UN mission said.

'The time of the urgent meeting is planned tomorrow afternoon,' the mission said in a statement released late on Sunday in New York.

The meeting was requested by Japan's UN Ambassador Yukio Takasu following a North Korean claim that it had conducted a nuclear test.

Pyongyang said it staged a successful underground nuclear test which was more powerful than its previous test in 2006, followed later by an apparent short-range missile launch.

'It is absolutely unacceptable,' said Japan's top government spokesman Takeo Kawamura, as Prime Minister Taro Aso set up a special crisis task force. 'Japan will take stern action against North Korea.'

Added Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone in Hanoi after meeting South Korean counterpart Yu Myung Hwan. 'It is an act that we can never tolerate... We, as the only atomic-bombed nation, need to take stern action.'

Japan quickly asked UN Security Council chair Russia to open an emergency meeting, and the Japanese UN mission said later a meeting had been scheduled for Monday afternoon local time in New York.

In Vienna, a UN-backed international committee preparing a nuclear test ban treaty said on Monday that North Korea's announcement that it carried out a nuclear test should be 'universally condemned'.

'Today's nuclear test claimed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) constitutes a threat to international peace and security and to the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime,' Tibor Toth, executive secretary of the preparatory committee for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation said in a statement.

'I am gravely concerned by this action. In particular, it is a serious violation of the norm established by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and as such deserves universal condemnation.'

The CTBT has been signed by 180 countries, but to come into effect it still needs ratification by nine key holdouts including China, North Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States. -- AFP

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N.KOREA CONDUCTS NUCLEAR TEST: Warns of more tests

May 25, 2009

N.KOREA CONDUCTS NUCLEAR TEST

Warns of more tests

		North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex near Pyongyang. -- PHOTO: KOREA HERALD

MOSCOW - NORTH Korea could carry out more nuclear tests if the United States continues attempts to intimidate Pyongyang, Itar-Tass news agency quoted an unidentified official in North Korea's embassy in Moscow as saying.

The source said new nuclear tests would take place 'if the United States and its allies continue the policy of intimidation against North Korea', Tass reported.

VIDEO N. Korea holds nuclear test (2:10) S.Korea military forms crisis team after nuke test report SEOUL - SOUTH Korea's military on Monday formed a 'crisis management' team of general-level officers after North Korea announced it had carried out a nuclear test, the defence ministry said. 'Top military officials led by the defence minister are holding an emergency meeting after forming a crisis management team,' a ministry spokesman said. ... more S.Korean markets hit SEOUL - SEOUL stocks fell sharply and the won slipped against the dollar on concerns North Korea's nuclear test early on Monday could sap investor confidence in the South Korean markets and economy. The main Seoul stock market's benchmark KOSPI fell 2.22 per cent by 0326 GMT (1126 Singapore time), although recouping much of its early more than 6 per cent dip. The won was down 1 per cent on the day at 1,259.9 per dollar. ... more

North Korea said it successfully conducted a nuclear test on Monday, a move certain to further isolate the prickly state, which argues it has no choice but to build an atomic arsenal to protect itself in a hostile world.

It also defiantly declared that it carried out a powerful underground nuclear test - a major provocation less than two months after launching a rocket widely believed to be a test of its long-range missile technology.

North Korea, incensed by UN Security Council condemnation of its April 5 rocket launch, had warned last month that it would restart it rogue nuclear programme, conduct an atomic test and carry out long-range missile tests.

On Monday, the country's official Korean Central News Agency said the regime 'successfully conducted one more underground nuclear test on May 25 as part of measures to bolster its nuclear deterrent for self-defence'.

The regime boasted that the test was conducted 'on a new higher level in terms of its explosive power and technology of its control' than one carried out in 2006.

Russia, which shares a short border with North Korea, confirmed its facilities detected a nuclear test in northeastern North Korea, the ITAR-Tass news agency said, citing an unnamed Russian Defense Ministry official.

In Washington, a US counter-proliferation official said there was reason to believe North Korea had conducted a nuclear test. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Monday's tests raise the stakes in the tense international standoff over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

'If North Korea carried out a nuclear test, it would clearly violate UN Security Council resolutions,' chief government spokesman Takeo Kawamura told reporters in Tokyo. 'We will definitely not tolerate it.'

Japan will request an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss North Korea, Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka said, according to the Kyodo news agency. -- AP

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N.KOREA CONDUCTS NUCLEAR TEST: Countries condemn test

May 25, 2009

N.KOREA CONDUCTS NUCLEAR TEST

Countries condemn test

		The reported nuclear test by North Korea is 'very, very worrying', EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on Monday. -- PHOTO: AFP

THE international community strongly condemned North Korea's nuclear test on Monday. Many countries also voiced their concerns and worries regarding the issue.

The United States has begun consultations with its allies in a bid to establish facts about North Korea's claim that it had conducted a new nuclear test, a State Department official said late on Sunday.

Reaction to N.Korea's nuclear test FOLLOWING is reaction from the international community and political analysts to North Korea's nuclear test. UNITED STATES President Barack Obama said North Korea's nuclear and missile tests were a 'matter of grave concern to all nations' and warranted action by the international community. 'North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community. North Korea's behaviour increases tensions and undermines stability in Northeast Asia,' he said in a statement. ... more

'We are aware of the reports of a nuclear test by North Korea,' the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. 'We are consulting with our allies. Once we have established the facts, we will have more to say.'

The comments came after North Korea said it had staged a 'successful' underground nuclear test on Monday, which was more powerful than its previous test.

The Russian foreign ministry meanwhile, voiced 'concern' about North Korea's nuclear test but was still examining the situation, the RIA-Novosti state news agency reported.

'The information about the North Korean nuclear test evokes concern, but before reaching any final conclusions it must be carefully checked,' the ministry's press service was quoted as saying.

The reported nuclear test by North Korea is 'very, very worrying', EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on Monday.

'I have not had it confirmed yet so I am very cautious still, but if this is so, it would certainly be very, very worrying and should be condemned,' Ms Ferrero-Waldner told reporters during a visit to Thailand. 'This is a very concerning moment,' she added.

Britain called the nuclear test 'clear breach' of UN resolution. 'I think we need to send a very clear message to North Korea that they need to re-engage with the six-party process,' British junior foreign minister Bill Rammell said in Hanoi on the sidelines of a meeting of Asian and European foreign ministers.

'It's again a very clear breach,' Mr Rammell said, adding that Britain was 'very concerned' about the development. -- AFP

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China opposes nuke tests

May 25, 2009

N.Korea conducts nuclear tests

China opposes nuke tests

		As the test has angered China, it is unlikely to back stronger sanctions as part of any new UN Security Council resolution. --PHOTO: AFP

BEIJING - CHINA'S government says it is 'resolutely opposed' to the nuclear weapons test carried out by communist neighbour and ally North Korea.

A Foreign Ministry statement says the North carried out Monday's test in defiance of the international community and its own commitments to denuclearise the Korean peninsula.

Japan vows 'stern action' TOKYO - JAPAN on Monday vowed 'stern action' against communist North Korea over its latest nuclear test and said it would seek an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. 'If North Korea conducted a nuclear test, it is a clear violation of UN resolutions,' said top government spokesman Takeo Kawamura as Prime Minister Taro Aso set up a special crisis task force. ... more

The statement on the ministry's website says Pyongyang should avoid actions that would sharpen tensions and return to the six-nation process to dismantle its nuclear programmes.

China is the North's main source of diplomatic support and opposed additional United Nations' sanctions after Pyongyang tested a long-range missile earlier this year. It also provides food and fuel aid to North Korea.

While the test has angered China, it is unlikely to back stronger sanctions as part of any new UN Security Council resolution, Chinese analysts said on Monday.

As a permanent member of the council, China has the power to veto any such resolution. But it is likely to face pressure from Washington and other regional capitals to support measures punishing the North for its test.

Pressure was already building on China to take a firmer stand as host of the now-stalled six-party talks among regional powers that aim to dismantle North Korea's nuclear programme.

Beijing condemned North Korea's first nuclear test blast in 2006 as a 'brazen' slap in the face for Chinese leaders, who give the North crucial economic and diplomatic protection.

This time, China's leaders will probably be more careful to balance their anger against worries that Pyongyang could make the six-party nuclear disarmament talks unsalvageable, said Xu Guangyu, a nuclear expert at the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association. Already, however, pressure is building on Beijing.

'The Chinese must use their influence to help bring North Korea to the table for the six-party talks,' US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was visiting China, said in a statement issued through the US Embassy in Beijing.

Ms Pelosi was in Shanghai. 'Today's announcement makes that need all the more urgent.' -- AP, REUTERS

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North Korea: 3 missiles test-fired

May 25, 2009

N.KOREA CONDUCTS NUCLEAR TEST

3 missiles test-fired

		This Jan 5, 2009 photo shows a missile-firing drill in North Korea. North Korea seems to have test-fired a short-range missile on Monday. -- PHOTO: AFP

SEOUL - NORTH Korea test-fired three short-range missiles on Monday, the same day it conducted an underground nuclear test, South Korea's military said.

'North Korea (test)fired a short-range missile from Musudan at around 12pm (11am Singapore time) and two more short-range missiles from Wonsan at around 5pm,' a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP. He gave no more details.

VIDEO N. Korea holds nuclear test (2:10) N.Korean test near 2006 test site VIENNA - THE 'event' North Korea says was a nuclear test on Monday measured 4.5 on the Richter scale. It was also within a couple of kilometres of a previous test in October 2006, a UN-backed group said on Monday. ... more SEOUL - THE following is the full text of the report released on Monday by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It was released after what the North said was its second nuclear weapons test. ... more

Yonhap news agency quoted sources as saying the North fired three ground-to-air missiles with a range of 130km.

MSingapore, Singapore Kopitiam, sunkopitiam, Singapore Forum, Singapurakini, missile test, nuclear test, North Koreausudan-ri on the northeast coast is where the North fired a long-range Taepodong-2 rocket on April 5. Wonsan is a city on the southeast coast, where another missile base is located.

Yonhap quoted one official as saying the North may have been trying to deter US aerial surveillance efforts following the nuclear test.

Japan's coast guard said last week the communist state was warning ships not to pass through waters within a 130km radius of the town of Kimchaek on its northeast coast.

The North says its April 5 launch put a satellite into orbit but other nations said it staged a disguised missile test. The UN Security Council condemned the launch and tightened sanctions on Pyongyang firms.

In response the North threatened more nuclear and missile tests. It announced on Monday it had conducted a second nuclear test, more powerful than the first in October 2006. The test was conducted in the Kilju region not far from Musudan-ri.

Countries around the world condemned the tests, with some saying they are considering imposing sanctions against Pyongyang. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said on Monday he was 'deeply disturbed' by North Korea's nuclear test and was closely following events.

The UN chief called on Pyongyang to respect UN Security Council resolution 1718, which demands that North Korea refrain from nuclear testing. The resolution was passed afte the regime's first nuclear test in 2006. -- AFP

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North Korea rocket launch: A 'provocative act'

April 5, 2009

North Korea rocket launch

A 'provocative act'

This undated photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 26, 2009 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il (center) inspecting the construction site of the Huichon power station in Jagang province. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

WASHINGTON - THE United States late Saturday pledged to take action after North Korea fired a rocket, calling it a 'provocative act' that threatened security in Asia.

The missile launch is an early test for US President Barack Obama, who had joined other world leaders in urging the hardline communist state to drop plans to test a missile.

China quiet on NKorea rocket launch BEIJING- CHINA remained quiet for more than an hour after a rocket launch by North Korea Sunday, with state media quoting only South Korean and Japanese government sources and media when reporting the news. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman refused to comment on the launch when contacted by AFP, and said he would be in contact 'as soon as possible' with information. ... more Obama: NKorea launch violated UN resolution WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama on Sunday called North Korea's rocket launch 'provocative' and a clear violation of UN Security Council rules. Here is the full text of Mr Obama's statement. ... more

'Certainly it threatens the whole safely and security of that region,' State Department spokesman Fred Lash said as he confirmed the launch late on Saturday Washington time.

'We look on this as a provocative act and certainly would - from the United States - take appropriate steps to let North Korea know that it can't threaten the safety and security of other countries with impunity and acts like these,' Mr Lash said.

He said that the test violated UN Security Council Resolution 1718, which was adopted after Pyongyang carried out a nuclear test in 2006.

That resolution had imposed sanctions on military goods and luxury products to North Korea and warned it not to carry out any further nuclear of ballistic missile tests.

Japan requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting shortly after the launch. The UN Security Council said it will hold consultations on the North Korean missile launch at 3pm EDT on Sunday (3am Singapore time on Monday), a UN diplomat said.

The consultations of the 15 Security Council members will take place behind closed doors.

Diplomats say Japan and the United States want the council to pass a resolution condemning the launch and calling for tougher enforcement of existing U.N. sanctions against North Korea.

'As you know, it's a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718,' Mr Lash said. 'We know that for a fact. We certainly will take that under consideration in the next few days.' Congressman Howard Berman, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the UN Security Council should take action.

'The test is an unnecessary provocation that raises tensions in the region,' Mr Berman said in a statement.

Mr Berman called on China and Russia - which have diplomatic ties with Pyongyang - to join ranks with the United States and its allies Japan and South Korea in condemning the test.

The five countries are part of deadlocked negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear programme. -- AFP, REUTERS

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North Korea's rocket passes over Japan

April 5, 2009

North Korea rocket launch

Rocket passes over Japan

This satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe shows a missile on the launchpad at Musudan-ni, North Korea, formally known as Taepodong missile launch facility. The image was collected Sunday March 29, 2009. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS

TOKYO/SEOUL - NORTH Korea launched a long-range rocket over Japan on Sunday, drawing swift international condemnation and triggering an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Washington said it would take steps to let the reclusive North know it could not threaten regional security. South Korea called the launch of the rocket, seen by many powers as a disguised missile test, a 'reckless' act.

SKorea calls emergency UN meeting UNITED NATIONS/TOKYO - JAPAN'S UN ambassador on Saturday requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council to discuss North Korea's rocket launch. No time for the meeting was announced, but it could take place as soon as Sunday. Security Council diplomats said arranging such a meeting usually takes at least half a day. ... more No reports of debris falling SEOUL - SOUTH Korea's presidential office has confirmed North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket launch from its east coast base. The Blue House says liftoff took place at 11.30 am (10.30am Singapore time) ... more Facts on NKorea's missile arsenal SEOUL - NORTH Korea, which fired a long-range rocket on Sunday, has for decades been developing missiles both for what it terms self-defence and as a lucrative export commodity. The hardline communist North said it was launching a communications satellite as part of a peaceful space programme, and the South Korean government said a satellite was aboard the rocket. ... more

'The launch by the North Koreans is seen as a provocative act and 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,' State Department spokesman Fred Lash told reporters in a conference call.

Japan said it stopped monitoring the Taepodong-2 rocket after it had passed 2,100 km (1,305 miles) east of Tokyo, indicating the launch had been a success. In its only previous test flight, in July 2006, the rocket blew apart 40 seconds after launch.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a government official in Seoul as saying the rocket appeared to have carried a satellite, which Pyongyang had insisted was its plan.

The United States, South Korea and Japan had said the launch would actually be the test of the Taepodong-2, which is designed to carry a warhead as far as Alaska. It has an estimated range of 6,700 km (4,200 miles).

Sunday was the second day in the April 4-8 timeframe the secretive North, which tested a nuclear device in 2006, had set for the launch.

The first rocket booster stage appeared to drop into the Sea of Japan, an estimated 280 km (170 miles) west of the northern Japan coast, the prime minister's office said in a statement.

The second piece appeared to fall into the Pacific Ocean.

Stephen Bosworth, Washington's special envoy for North Korea, last week suggested the launch was a foregone conclusion and that he hoped to bring the North back to six-party talks on ending its nuclear programmes once the 'dust' had settled over the launch.

While saying the talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States were central to efforts to get North Korea to give up its nuclear programme, he also said Washington was ready for direct contact with Pyongyang at any time.

The six-party talks stalled in December and Pyongyang has threatened to quit the dialogue if the United Nations imposes any punishment over its rocket launch. -- REUTERS

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North Korea's Rocket a test of nuke missile

April 5, 2009

North Korea rocket launch

Rocket a test of nuke missile

SEOUL - THE United States, South Korea and Japan say the launch is actually the test of a Taepodong-2 missile, which is designed to carry a warhead as far as Alaska.

Impoverished North Korea, which for years has used military threats to wring concessions from regional powers, has said it is putting a satellite into orbit as part of a peaceful space programme and threatened war if the rocket was intercepted.

Analysis HERE are some comments from analysts about North Korea's launch of a long-range missile on Sunday. Brian Myers, Professor at south Korea's Dongseo University 'Whether the launch is successful or not is not as important as foreign people think because Kim Jong-il will have scored an internal propaganda coup simply be defying the world with impunity. He will be seen as firing this missile off into a hostile world, heedless of everybody who is trying to stop him from firing it. ... more Chronology of North Korean missile development THERE are key dates in Pyongyang's missile development: Late 1970s: Starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 300 km or 187 miles). Test-fired in 1984 1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (500 km), Rodong-1 (1,300 km), Taepodong-1 (2,500 km), Musudan-1 (3,000 km) and Taepodong-2 (6,700 km) Aug 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 over Japan as part of failed satellite launch Sept 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US ... more

Analysts said the launch may help North Korean leader Kim Jong-il shore up support after a suspected stroke in August raised questions of his grip on power and bolster his hand in using military threats to win concessions from global powers.

The United States, Japan and South Korea see the launch as a violation of a UN Security Council resolution passed in 2006 after Pyongyang carried out the nuclear test and other missile tests.

That resolution, number 1718, demands North Korea 'suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme'.

UN Security Council diplomats have told Reuters on condition of anonymity that no country was considering imposing new sanctions but the starting point could be discussing a resolution for the stricter enforcement of earlier sanctions.

Both Russia and China, the latter the nearest the reclusive North has to a major ally, have made clear they would block new sanctions by the Council, where they have veto power.

Analysts say North Korea wants good film footage of a launch as part of plans to maximise its propaganda value.

The regime is seen as eager to give its people news of a technological triumph to bolster support at a time of lingering uncertainty over the health of leader Kim Jong-Il.

There are widespread reports Kim suffered a stroke last August. While apparently largely recovered, the incident has raised questions about who would succeed the 67-year-old.

North Korea is also seen as trying to strengthen its hand with Washington in future nuclear disarmament negotiations. The Taepodong-2 could reach Alaska or Hawaii at maximum range, but the North is not thought to have configured a warhead for it yet.

Pyongyang has said that even a debate about its launch in the UN Security Council - let alone any sanctions - would cause the breakdown of long-running six-nation nuclear disarmament talks. - REUTERS, AFP

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