Will NK get away with it?
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North Korea’s Unha-3 rocket stands at Sohae Satellite Station in Dongchang-ri in this April 8 file photo. / Yonhap
S. Korea, US pressed to confront Pyongyang’s surprise rocket launch
By Kim Young-jin
North Korea launched a long-range rocket Wednesday allegedly deploying a satellite into orbit, catching South Korea, the United States and Japan unaware.
The satellite was later confirmed to be in orbit, qualifying the launch as a success.
This means Pyongyang has made significant progress in its intercontinental ballistic missile capability, confronting the international community with the inevitable question ― how to contain a lethal weapon in the hands of a rogue state.
Seoul strongly condemned the launch of the three-stage Unha-3 which lifted off at 9:51 a.m. from a site in the country’s northwest, days earlier than had been widely anticipated. Washington called it a “highly provocative act” that breached U.N. Security Council resolutions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
The move was surprising not only in its timing ― the North had reported technical problems days earlier ― but in its success, after a failure just 8 months ago. While the country insisted the launch was for scientific purposes, analysts say it would have provided data that will advance the Kim Jong-un regime’s pursuit of long-range weapons systems.
Washington’s North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said the missile deployed an object that “appeared to achieve orbit.” It added that the first stage of the rocket fell into the West Sea followed by the second stage falling into the Philippine Sea.
Pyongyang hailed its success through state media. "The second version of the satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 successfully lifted off from the Sohae Space Center by carrier rocket Unha-3 on Wednesday," Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
Seoul, which says the launch was a cover for a ballistic missile test, slammed the move as did regional players including Washington, Beijing, Moscow and Tokyo, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
“The firing of the missile by the North is in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874, which prohibit any launch using ballistic missile technology. It poses a challenge and threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and around the world,” the government said in a statement.
“Together with the international community, the government of the Republic of Korea strongly condemns North Korea for defying repeated international warnings against the launch and for going ahead with the provocation.”
China, which has shielded its communist ally from international censure in the past, notably called on Pyongyang to “abide by relevant UN Security Council resolutions” and “suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program” through its official Xinhua news agency.
The UNSC was expected to convene a meeting at 1:00 a.m. Thursday (KST). Officials said the meeting was called for by Seoul, Tokyo and Washington.
"We will discuss the North's long-range missile launch at the Security Council with the aim of reaching a consensus on adopting tougher sanctions against North Korea," the foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
Attention now swings to the UNSC, where analysts will watch China to see if it agrees with measures that will hurt the regime.
Seoul was apparently caught off-guard by the launch. The previous day, military officials were quoted as saying the North had taken the rocket off the launch pad for repairs making the launch likely to occur toward the end of the launch window that was to end Dec. 29.
Analysts said the success shows that Pyongyang has become more advanced than expected, as it came soon after the reported problems. They said that while hurdles still remained before the North could have a legitimate intercontinental ballistic missile with nuclear capability, such as the ability to carry a nuclear warhead and re-enter the atmosphere, it was an alarming step in that direction.
The North tied the event to the first anniversary of the passing of late dictator Kim Jong-il, who maintained a strict “military-first” policy. North watchers believe the successful launch boosts the credibility of Kim’s son, new leader Kim Jong-un, among the military in the Stalinist state.