Rocket blunder shames North Korea
PYONGYANG — North Korea’s heralded long-range rocket test ended in failure Friday, disintegrating in mid-air soon after blastoff and plunging into the sea in a major embarrassment for the reclusive state.
The defiant launch drew condemnation from world leaders who described it as a “provocative” act that threatened regional security, despite Pyongyang insisting it was intended to put a satellite into orbit for peaceful purposes.
Some four hours after the rocket exploded over the Yellow Sea, the North admitted the satellite had failed to enter orbit, and that “scientists, technicians and experts are now looking into the cause of the failure.’’
The United States and its allies slammed the exercise as a disguised ballistic missile test that contravened United Nations resolutions triggered by Pyongyang’s two nuclear tests.
“North Korea is only further isolating itself by engaging in provocative acts, and is wasting its money on weapons and propaganda displays while the North Korean people go hungry,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
He said the launch “violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments,” under which Pyongyang had agreed to suspend its nuclear and missile tests in return for U.S. food aid.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the launch as “deplorable,” saying it “defies the firm and unanimous stance of the international community.’’
South Korea’s defence ministry said the rocket lifted off at 05:39 a.m. (Central time) on Thursday and flew for just over two minutes before it “splintered into two parts, probably due to a blast,” and then broke into smaller pieces.
The debris fell into the Yellow Sea off South Korea and its navy launched a salvage operation to retrieve the debris, despite warnings from Pyongyang last week not to attempt such an operation.
The South said it was keeping a close eye on the North “for further provocative acts such as missile tests and a nuclear test,” as analysts said the humiliation could spur North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un to order a third atomic test.
The European Union joined governments in Japan and South Korea in condemning Friday’s move as a provocation that undermined peace and security in the volatile Korean Peninsula and the wider region. The North’s sole major ally, China, was more muted in its reaction, calling for restraint from all sides and saying it had not been given advance warning of the launch. The test was supposed to have been the centrepiece of weekend commemorations to mark the centenary of the birth of North Korean founding leader Kim Il-sung as Pyongyang cements the rule of Kim Jong-un, who took over in December.
State television showed JongUn waving at crowds of tens of thousands of people in the capital late Friday as he led a ceremony unveiling giant new statues of his father and grandfather.
Soldiers in broad-brimmed caps sporting chestfuls of medals, men in suits and ties and women in traditional hanbok gowns watched as civilians applauded and waved bunches of artificial flowers at intervals throughout the ceremony.
Fireworks and shouts of “Manse!” (hurrah) marked the end of the event.