North Korea angers the world with Unha-3 launch

North Korea, as promised, has launched its Unha-3 rocket with a satellite on board.

The launch took place at 09:51 local time (04:51 MSK) from the launch site in the north-west of the country. The spacecraft flew over Okinawa, but Japan did not down the rocket. According to the Japanese, the first stage of the rocket fell 200 kilometers west off the Korean Peninsula, and the second one - some 250-300 km to south-west off the peninsula in the East China Sea, while the third stage fell 300 kilometers off the eastern coast of the Philippines in the Pacific Ocean, says The Free Press.

The UN Security Council may gather for a special meeting today in connection with the launch of the North Korean rocket. Previously, the Council had passed two resolutions banning the DPRK from conducting any developments related to the technology of ballistic missiles. It is suspected that North Korea tests its missile arsenal, the Russian News Service said.

North Korea's neighbors, as well as Russia and the United States had urged the Koreans to refuse from the launch. The launch was scheduled for the period on December 10-22 to mark the first anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il, who died on December 17, 2011. Later, however, the DPRK authorities were forced to extend the period for the launch of the Ynha-3 to December 29 due to technical problems.