SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea appeared to launch a rocket on Sunday, the Japanese government said, defying calls from world leaders to scrap a plan that has caused international alarm.
It was not immediately clear if the launch had been successful, or if it was a long-range version of the rocket.
The rocket is supposed to fly over Japan, dropping boosters to its west and east on a path that runs southwest of Hawaii.
The United States, South Korea and Japan say the plan is actually the test of a Taepodong-2 missile, which is designed to carry a warhead as far as Alaska.
U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday the international community would take action if North Korea went ahead with the launch to show Pyongyang it could not act with impunity.
Impoverished North Korea, which for years has used military threats to wring concessions from regional powers, has said it is putting a satellite into orbit as part of a peaceful space program and threatened war if the rocket was intercepted.
Experts have said clear visibility would help North Korea, with limited radar capabilities, monitor the flight.
Before the launch, the Kyodo news agency quoted Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone as saying the authorities were on alert and had made "every preparation."
Japan has dispatched missile intercepting-ships and anti-missile batteries along the projected flight path.
North Korea launches rocket
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Originally Posted by Farnan
