ANALYSTS VIEW-North Korea launches long-range rocket

March 5 (Reuters) - Here are some comments from analysts about North Korea's launch of a long-range missile on Sunday.

For full coverage of the missile crisis, click [nSP469853]) (These remarks were made to Reuters before the launch took place.)

BRIAN MYERS, PROFESSOR AT SOUTH KOREA'S DONGSEO UNIVERISITY

"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.

"There is really no understanding the importance of these routine provocations of the rest of the world. When you are unable to feed your people, if you cannot give them food you have to at least give them pride. If he is unable to do that, then he does face a legitimisation crisis.

"The greatest victory and what the North Korean propaganda apparatus trumpets as the greatest achievement of his term is simply the way he ushered North Korea into the nuclear club. He needs this confrontation and he needs this tension. It is the lifeblood of this regime. He is going to have follow up on this with something else.

"The only way that Kim Jong-il would make himself vulnerable to say an internal coup would be to seem to be weak in military affairs. In that sense, it is important that he goes through with this.

"If it malfunctions and falls into the ocean, I don't think that would be seen as much as an embarrassment for the North Korean regime. This is not a regime that prides itself on being technologically ahead of the rest of the world. They are much prouder of their resolve -- their determination to develop nuclear weapons in the face of opposition.

"The North Korean people need this. If you have a military first regime, it has been seen as doing something. It is not enough to say we are keeping the Americans out of the country. You are going to need these spectacular displays of North Korean defiance of the outside world.

"We have to keep in mind that North Korea is going through a domestic crisis right now. A conservative South Korean government that is flaunting its disrespect for the North poses a crisis for North Korea. It got through the last 10 years by telling its people that although the South Koreans are richer than we are, they fear and respect us and the people want to live under our rule.

WILLIAM TOBEY, SENIOR FELLOW AT BELFER CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

"First and foremost they're interested in advancing their military capabilities and, second, seeing how the people in Washington react to their provocation.

"They're looking to see whether they face a stern, firm response from Washington and if they don't, they will continue to press for more concessions on the part of their negotiating partners.

"The greatest threat from North Korea is their proliferation activities and that means that everyone needs to fear North Korea, both inside and outside the region."

"They seek to divide us from China, therefore it's important for the new (U.S.) administration to make clear to China that it's in both China's interest and in the U.S. interest to pressure the North to abandon their nuclear weapons.

"In some sense there is an advantage to ignoring North Korea. The North Koreans are undertaking this activity to call attention to themselves, to demonstrate how important they are, to create negotiating capital and to use that capital to extract concessions. The more importance we attach to this test, the more negotiating leverage the North Koreans will create for themselves."

DANIEL TWINING, SENIOR FELLOW FOR ASIA AT GERMAN MARSHALL FUND OF UNITED STATES

"This crisis can also be seen as a test of U.S.-China relations and of China trajectory going forward in terms of its responsibilities. China does not have unlimited leverage, but it does have a lot more leverage than actually we do, or any of the other major Asian powers. China has to answer a question through its actions, which is: Will it continue to basically protect North Korea from international pressure or will it be part of the united front of pressure for a solution that moves toward disarmament and mitigates against future missile and nuclear tests?"

BRUCE KLINGNER, HERITAGE FOUNDATION, WASHINGTON

"We have two existing resolutions which are on the books, and not tying to enforce them sets a bad precedent for North Korea and others. We need to begin enforcement of those and we should also implement a follow-on resolution which plugs the loopholes in those resolutions, as well as add some more punitive and definitive measures.

"For the Obama administration, it really is the first foreign policy test of the new president. It's very important that Obama responds properly. For the U.N. Security Council it's a test of are they willing to defend their resolutions. If they don't take firm action, then U.N. resolutions don't mean anything."

CRAIG SNYDER, SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AND POLITICAL STUDIES, DEAKIN UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA

"While North Korea insists that this will be a peaceful launch of a Kwangmyongsong-2 communications satellite, North Korea has used satellite launches as part of its missile testing programme in the past. The important aspect is not the payload on this particular missile but the demonstration that the Taepodong-2 missiles' reliability and range.

"The rationale for the test is much like previous North Korean missile tests, that is designed to gain concessions from the regional powers in general and the U.S. in particular. North Korea wants a resumption of the six-party talks but also wants to 'test' the Obama Administration's resolve in dealing with North Korea."

(Reporting by Paul Eckert in Washington, Jon Herskovitz in Seoul and Jeremy Laurence in Singapore; Editing by Dean Yates)