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North Korea plans second rocket launch in December

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1 of 2. A soldier stands guard in front of a rocket sitting on a launch pad at the West Sea Satellite Launch Site, during a guided media tour by North Korean authorities in the northwest of Pyongyang in this April 8, 2012 file photo. North Korea will launch a satellite in mid-December, the official KCNA news agency quoted officials as saying on December 1, 2012. The satellite would be launched between December 10-22, it quoted a spokesman for the Korean Committee for Space Technology as saying.

Credit: Reuters/Bobby Yip/Files

SEOUL | Sat Dec 1, 2012 10:45am EST

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea is to carry out its second rocket launch this year in December as South Korea holds its presidential election in a move that will likely trigger diplomatic tensions between the two Koreas and censure from the United States and Japan.

State news agency KCNA said on Saturday that the launch of a rocket carrying a satellite would take place between December 10 and December 22.

North Korea says its launches are for peaceful purposes, although Washington and Seoul believe the isolated, impoverished state is testing long-range missile technology with the aim of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

North Korea undertook a similar launch in April that was aborted a few minutes into its mission. The North is banned from conducting missile or nuclear-related activities under United Nations resolutions.

The coming launch will take place around the time of South Korea's presidential polls on December 19 and close to the first anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong-il.

Kim died on December 17 last year and was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un.

(Reporting by David Chance and John Ruwitch; Editing by Ron Popeski)
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Comments (2)
Gregory1 wrote:
Iran sent a monitoring team of their scientest to the last launch. The joint Iranian/North Korean nuclear site in Syria proved not to succesful (Operation Orchard)and the North Korean attempt to transfer nuclear capable missiles to Myanmar last year also was stopped by the United States Navy who forced the ship back to North Korea after nuclear capable artillery was sold to Myanmar on the open market.

Dec 01, 2012 10:24am EST  --  Report as abuse
Animated wrote:
haha so they are “banned” by the UN from conducting nuclear or missle activities…yet they are working on or opened a new nuclear reactor and have fired one and planning to fire a second missle.

Good thing there is a ban in effect. Surely it is deterring them from doing these “illegal” things.

Dec 01, 2012 10:45am EST  --  Report as abuse
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