FACTBOX:For North Korea, was rocket launch a success or failure?

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said it put a satellite into orbit on Sunday but the U.S. military and South Korea said all parts of the long-range rocket crashed into the sea and nothing entered orbit.

While there may not have been any satellite, the launch was a resounding political victory for leader Kim Jong-il and elements of the launch were a technical success for the impoverished communist state.

THE ROCKET FLIGHT -- PARTIAL SUCCESS

The first stage of the three-part Taepodong-2 rocket fell into the Sea of Japan as planned, about 500 km (310 miles) from the launch site. The second stage flew over Japan and splashed into the Pacific Ocean about 3,200 km (2,000 miles) from the origin, probably taking the third stage and the payload down with it, informed South Korean sources told local media.

That means Pyongyang has doubled the tested range of its missiles in the past decade, a feat many believed beyond its technical capabilities. It has also put the U.S. territory of Guam nearly in reach.

A Taepodong-1 missile the North fired in 1998 is believed to have splashed down in the Pacific Ocean about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) from the North's Musudan-ri missile base.

Sunday's launch was the first time the Taepodong-2 has flown. But the rocket was unable to achieve ballistic trajectory, which means the North is still technically short of being able to reliably deliver a warhead with the precision needed for use as a tactical weapon, the sources said.

ARMS EXPORTS -- MOSTLY SUCCESS

The launch means the North continues to strengthen its position as a major exporter of ballistic missile technology.

North Korea is believed to have an active exchange in missile technology development with Iran and Pakistan and has exported its short- and mid-range missiles to Syria, which can be used to strike Israel or southern Europe, intelligence sources have said.

News reports quoted South Korean intelligence sources as saying North Korea had a part in Iran's launch in February of a satellite.

North Korean news reports said Sunday's launch was viewed by Kim Jong-il, who has spoken of missiles as being a legitimate export item. Media reports in the South said it was also viewed by foreign visitors who may have been potential buyers.

SATELLITE LAUNCH -- FAILURE

North Korea contends its satellite is orbiting the globe playing revolutionary songs. The U.S. military said no object entered orbit.

South Korean media reports said the Taepodong-2 failed to reach the velocity needed to propel a payload containing a satellite out of the atmosphere, even if the third and final stage of the rocket successfully separated in flight.

But experts say the North has shown little interest and invested little money in developing a satellite program. Its main interest is in building a warhead to mount on a ballistic missile that can re-enter the atmosphere and land on target.

POLITICS -- SUCCESS

Many analysts said focusing on whether it was a satellite or not missed the point.

Kim Jong-il has already begun reaping political benefits, with the North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper headlining Monday's edition with news that the leader was personally on hand to watch the rocket blast off.

Analysts have said the launch would boost Kim's authority ahead of his widely expected move to reshuffle the powerful National Defense Commission at a meeting of parliament on Thursday.

The launch will be played up as a victory for his home-grown "Songun" or "military first" leadership philosophy that has left the international community struggling to stop the North from making advances in military technology.

The North's closest ally China as well as Russia are likely to veto any U.N. resolutions that impose new sanctions and are reluctant to press for a toughening of sanctions already in place for the North's previous missile tests.

U.S. analysts said an emboldened North Korea would use the launch to extract concessions for showing up at any future round of six-party talks on ending its nuclear program.

It could also seek to water down obligations it signed onto under previous negotiations.

Pyongyang also succeeded in grabbing the attention of Barack Obama, propelling North Korea to the top of the agenda during the new U.S. president's first major overseas visit, and possibly altering his global security priorities, analysts said.

Former South Korean Foreign Minister Han Sung-joo called the rocket launch "Kim Jong-il's cover letter to Obama."

(Editing by Jon Herskovitz and Dean Yates)