Defiant North Korea Launches Rocket Weeks After Nuclear Test
- Isolated nation claims success in putting satellite into space
- North Korea says there will be more rocket launches to come
People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast on North Korea's long-range rocket launch at Seoul Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/BloombergNorth Korea launched a long-range rocket Sunday, just weeks after conducting a fourth nuclear test in the latest setback for international efforts to pressure the Kim Jong Un regime to end its weapons program.
The isolated nation claimed it was successful in putting the “Kwangmyongsong” (shining star) satellite into space, North Korean anchorwoman Ri Chun Hui said on state television, adding that there would be more launches to come. The rocket was fired at around 9:30 a.m. Seoul time and disappeared off the radar after flying almost 800 kilometers south, a South Korean official said.