North Korea Launches 'Satellite' Despite International Pressure

[Ryan Ruck]

North Korea Launches 'Satellite' Despite International Pressure

North Korea launched what it claims to be a communications satellite Sunday, the Japanese government said.

The launch came a day after the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said preparations for the launch of the satellite, called Kwangmyongsong-2, had been completed and that it would be launched "soon."

Pyongyang did not launch the rocket on Saturday, the first day of the five-day time frame specified by the North. Some analysts in Japan said that relatively high winds near the east coast launch site of Musudan-ri might have led the North to hold off launching the rocket.

Japan and its allies, including the United States and South Korea, have said they believe the launch is a cover for a long-range ballistic missile test, which they say would contravene a U.N. Security Council resolution barring the reclusive communist state from ballistic missile activities.

Tensions have been mounting since Pyongyang announced last month it would launch a satellite sometime between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Saturday to Wednesday. Subsequent reports said North Korea was preparing what is believed to be a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile.

North Korea launched a Taepodong-1 missile in August 1998, part of which flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean.

The Taepodong-2 missile is believed to have a range of more than 6,000 kilometers, capable of reaching U.S. territory, but a test launch in July 2006 apparently failed. Among the major worries that arose from the rocket launch is that the technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for ballistic missiles.

At the end of March, Japan adopted a parliamentary resolution calling on Pyongyang to refrain from the launch. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said a launch would be "provocative" and an act that could have "consequences."

In a flurry of diplomatic efforts during the past week, the leaders and top diplomats of Japan, the United States and South Korea reaffirmed their commitment to pressure Pyongyang to cancel the launch and to take the issue to the U.N. Security Council for possible punishment if the launch takes place.

Pyongyang's rhetoric has become increasingly bellicose since the international community has stepped up its warnings.

In a defiant statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency late last month, North Korea warned that "even discussion" of the launch by the U.N. Security Council would be viewed as a "hostile act."

A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman was also quoted by KCNA, the official North Korean news agency, as saying the satellite program is intended for "peaceful purposes" and that "even a single word critical of the launch" from the U.N. Security Council would be "regarded as a blatant hostile act."

The council's resolution 1718 was adopted in October 2006, days after North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test it termed successful following the test-firing of a series of missiles three months earlier, including a botched attempt to launch a Taepodong-2.

North Korea has also warned that attempts to have the U.N. Security Council punish the country would lead to a collapse of the six-party talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

The international disarmament talks, which group the two Koreas, Japan, the United States, China and Russia, have been stalled since December due to differences over ways to verify North Korea's nuclear activities.

China, Pyongyang's most important ally, and Russia are apparently cautious about taking punitive action against North Korea at the U.N. Security Council. Both China and Russia have veto-wielding power on the council, as do the other permanent members -- the United States, Britain and France.

Pyongyang's preparations for the launch prompted Tokyo to mount an unprecedented missile defense campaign by mobilizing the Self-Defense Forces, whose use of force is strictly limited under the country's pacifist Constitution.

In notifying international agencies of its planned launch, North Korea said its multistage rocket would fly over Japan's northeastern region and designated two "danger" areas. It suggested the rocket's first booster would fall into the Sea of Japan about 130 km off the coast of Akita Prefecture, and the second into the middle of the Pacific Ocean between Japan and Hawaii.

On March 27, just a few days after North Korea reportedly positioned the rocket on its launch pad, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered the SDF to prepare to destroy the rocket or any debris in the event that the launch fails to go according to the announced plan and falls toward Japanese territory.

Under the order, Patriot land-to-air missiles were deployed in Akita and Iwate prefectures as well as in Tokyo, while Aegis-equipped destroyers carrying Standard-Missile-3 sea-to-air interceptors were deployed in the Sea of Japan. U.S. Navy Aegis-equipped destroyers based in Japan and elsewhere have also been engaged in missile defense duties.

Such seemingly meticulous preparations, viewed by some experts as excessive, backfired Saturday as the Japanese government erroneously announced that the North Korean rocket had apparently been launched following a transmission error within the Defense Ministry.

Pyongyang has warned that any move to intercept the rocket would be regarded as an act of war.

North Korea conducted the only previous test-firing of a Taepodong-2 in July 2006, when it is believed to have blown apart only about 40 seconds after liftoff. At the time, Pyongyang fired a total of seven missiles, including Rodong medium-range missiles that are thought to be targeted at Japan.

Earlier, in August 1998, North Korea test-fired what it claimed to be a satellite but many considered it to be a Taepodong-1 missile with a range of 1,500 km. Part of the rocket flew over the Japanese archipelago and landed in the Pacific Ocean, prompting Japan to accelerate its moves to build a missile shield based on U.S. concepts.

Fueling the tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the lead up to Sunday's rocket launch, North Korea threatened to indict and try two American journalists for illegally crossing the border from China and engaging in "hostile acts." Pyongyang also accused Washington of flying spy planes near the rocket launch site.

[Ryan Ruck]

North Korea Launches Rocket, Defying World Pressure

North Korea fired a rocket over Japan on Sunday, defying Washington, Tokyo and others who suspect the launch was cover for a test of its long-range missile technology. President Barack Obama said the move threatens the security of nations "near and far."

Liftoff took place at 10:30 p.m. ET from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in northeastern North Korea, the South Korean and U.S. governments said. The multistage rocket hurtled toward the Pacific, reaching Japanese airspace within seven minutes, but no debris appeared to hit its territory, officials in Tokyo said.

A senior defense official told FOX News the missile "never posed a threat" and "defensive measures were not needed."

Four hours after the launch, North Korea declared it a success. An experimental communications satellite reached outer space in just over nine minutes and is orbiting, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch from Pyongyang.

"The satellite is transmitting the melodies 'Song of Gen. Kim Il Sung' and 'Song of Gen. Kim Jong Il' as well as measurement data back to Earth," it said, referring to the country's late founder and his son, its current leader.

U.S. defense officials, however, told FOX News "nothing went into orbit" and any space launch of a satellite was therefore unsuccessful. The officials also said two stages of the missile fell into the Pacific.

"Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean. No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan," North American Aerospace Defense Command and Northern Command said.

NORAD and NORTHCOM "assessed the space launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response to this launch."

South Korea's presidential office said Sunday North Korea's satellite did not reach orbit as the communist nation claims.

Sunday's move was a bold act of defiance against Obama, Japanese leader Taro Aso, Hu Jintao of China and others who pressed Pyongyang in the days leading up to liftoff to cancel a launch they said would threaten peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

The U.N. Security Council approved an emergency session for Sunday afternoon in New York, following a request from Japan that came just minutes after the launch.

"North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint and further isolated itself from the community of nations," Obama said in Prague, urging Pyongyang to honor the U.N. resolutions and to refrain from further "provocative" actions.

China, Pyongyang's biggest source of economic aid and diplomatic support, urged all sides to maintain calm and exercise restraint. It offered to play a "constructive role," though some fear it could use its veto power to block a unified response to the launch at the Security Council.

North Korea says the launch of the "Kwangmyongsong-2" satellite was a peaceful bid to develop its space program.

But the U.S., South Korea, Japan and others suspect the launch was a guise for testing the regime's long-range missile technology — a worrying step toward eventually mounting a nuclear weapon on a missile capable of reaching Alaska and beyond.

They contend it violates a U.N. Security Council resolution barring the regime from ballistic missile activity, part of efforts to force North Korea to shelve its nuclear program and halt long-range missile tests.

State Department spokesman Fred Lash called the launch a clear violation of Resolution 1718, adopted five days after North Korea carried out a nuclear weapons test in 2006. The U.S. will "take appropriate steps to let North Korea know that it cannot threaten the safety and security of other countries with impunity," he said in Washington after the launch.

"We look on this as a provocative act," Lash said.

Japan's U.N. mission immediately requested a meeting of the 15-nation council Sunday, spokesman Yutaka Arima said. Mexico, which holds the 15-nation council's president this month, set the meeting for 3 p.m. EDT, spokesman Marco Morales said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he regretted North Korea's move "against strong international appeal" at a time when nuclear disarmament talks involving six nations remain stalled.

"Given the volatility in the region, as well as a stalemate in interaction among the concerned parties, such a launch is not conducive to efforts to promote dialogue, regional peace and stability," Ban said in a statement from Paris.

The European Union "strongly" condemned the launch.

"These actions place additional strains on regional stability at a time when the unresolved nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula requires mutual confidence building," the EU's Czech presidency said in a statement.

At the United Nations, diplomats have begun discussing ways to affirm existing sanctions on North Korea. Envoys said permanent council members U.S., Britain and France are unlikely to secure agreement on new sanctions from veto holders Russia and China, North Korea's closest ally. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

North Korea, which says its participation in a U.N. space treaty protects its right to send a satellite into orbit, took pains to alert international maritime and aviation authorities of the rocket's flight path, in marked contrast to 2006, when it carried out a surprise launch.

It was not immediately apparent if the rocket was mounted with a satellite as North Korea has claimed, Japan's chief Cabinet spokesman Takeo Kawamura said.

In Seoul, an unnamed government official told the Yonhap news agency the trajectory of the rocket suggests it was mounted with a satellite but said it was unclear whether it made it to orbit.

"Even if a satellite was launched, we see this as a ballistic missile test and we think this matter should be taken to the United Nations Security Council," Kawamura said.

The first stage of the rocket dropped about 175 miles off the western coast of Akita into the waters between Japan and the Korean peninsula. The second stage was aimed for the Pacific at a spot about 790 miles off Japan's northeastern coast, a Defense Ministry spokeswoman said in Tokyo.

Japan had threatened to shoot down any debris from the rocket if the launch went wrong, and positioned batteries of interceptor missiles on its coast and radar-equipped ships off its northern seas to monitor the liftoff.

No attempt at interception was made since no debris fell onto its territory, a Defense Ministry spokeswoman said in Tokyo, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.

However, in addition to calling for the Security Council meeting, Japan threatened to add more bilateral sanctions onto those it imposed after the July 2006 launch of a similar Taepodong-2 long-range missile that fizzled 42 seconds after takeoff.

South Korea, which technically remains at war with the North because their three-year conflict ended in 1953 in a truce rather than a peace treaty, put its forces on heightened alert.

North Korea, one of the world's poorest nations, is led with absolute authority by leader Kim Jong Il, who is poised to preside over the first session of the country's new parliament on Thursday. The appearance will be his first major public appearance since reportedly suffering a stroke last August.

Amid the controversy over the rocket launch, North Korea announced last week it would put two American reporters detained at the border with China on trial for allegedly entering the country illegally and engaging in "hostile acts."

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's Current TV media venture, were seized by North Korean soldiers on March 17.

[AGEUSAF]

Looks like North Korea is getting the short end of the stick when it comes to sharing rocket tech with Iran at this point.

[Cutaway]

The start of Korean War 2 or WW3 is coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

[vector7]

China and Russia block Security Council sanctions over North Korean launch

April 07, 2009
Article from: The Australian

NEW YORK: After three hours of closed-door talks, the UN Security Council yesterday failed to reach agreement on how to respond to North Korea's long-range rocket launch, seen by most Western nations as a violation of UN resolutions.

China and Russia, which have veto power in the Security Council, signalled they would oppose any new sanctions on North Korea, pointing out that Pyongyang has always said the rocket carried a satellite, not awarhead.

China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi telephoned officials in the US, Russia, Japan and South Korea to discuss the launch. "All sides ought to look at the big picture," a Chinese government statement said. They should "avoid taking actions that may exacerbate the situation further".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on the international community to demonstrate a "balanced approach and caution".

The US and Japan, which called for the Security Council meeting in response to what they view as Pyongyang's "provocative act", said the launch of a three-stage Taepodong-2 missile, with an estimated range of 6700km violated Security Council resolution 1718.

That resolution, adopted in 2006 after North Korea's missile launches on July 5 and nuclear test on October 9 that year, demanded that Pyongyang refrain from any further nuclear tests or another ballistic missile launch.
US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said additional consultations would continue in New York and capitals around the world to try to agree on "a clear and strong response from the council".

Diplomats said there was general agreement on expressing concern over the launch and calling on Pyongyang to return to the six-nation talks and to respect UN resolutions.

"The fact of the launch was in itself a clear violation of 1718. The use of ballistic missile technology is a clear violation of the resolution which prohibits missile-related activities," Ms Rice said.

A Western diplomat said Ms Rice, backed by her British and French colleagues, pressed for a "strong condemnation" of the North Korean action during the consultations.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said: "This is a regime that has placed itself outside international law. There is only one response possible: the union of the international community must punish a regime that doesn't respect any international rules."

But Russia, China, Libya, Uganda and Vietnam called for restraint in the council's response so as not to endanger the six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament, the diplomat said.

The six-party talks bring together the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US.

Diplomats said Beijing and Moscow were likely to block any attempt by the US and its Western allies to push for new sanctions against North Korea over the rocket launch.

[vector7]

UN gets the usual China, Russia filibuster on North Korea condemnation

April 6, 2009



(ChattahBox) — North Korea’s rocket may have fallen into the sea, but some military experts cautioned Monday that it wasn’t a total failure.

Although the distance was still far short of showing North Korea could reach U.S. territory, the rocket identified by American officials as a Taepodong-2, flew at least 2,000 miles, doubling it’s range.

While it is a particularly worrying development for a petulant country that says it has nuclear weapons and once threatened to turn Seoul into a “sea of fire,” the United Nations (united being a large misnomer) failed to respond to what President Obama called a “provocative act.”

Council members met for three hours Sunday but couldn’t even release a customary preliminary statement of condemnation as China, the North’s closest ally, and Russia likely used their veto power to prevent or water down any response. Supposedly China, Russia, Libya and Vietnam were concerned about further alienating and destabilizing North Korea. The council will likely reconvene today.

U.S. intelligence agencies are however trying to capitalize on North Korea’s threat by advancing proposals to deploy two new spy satellite systems estimated to cost a total of about $10 billion, according to government and industry officials.

Arguing that the U.S. faces a future gap in advanced, high-resolution imaging capabilities, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week asked the White House to approve plans to build a pair of large, cutting-edge spy satellites along with two smaller, less-expensive models commercially available today, according to WSJ report.

The aim is to get the simpler satellites into orbit first to maintain U.S. space surveillance efforts, and then develop and launch the more-capable follow-on constellation.

As part of the debate leading up to the recommendations, intelligence officials argued that current commercial sattelite imagery, wasn’t adequate to fully decipher North Korea’s activities regarding its controversial rocket.

Via: Huffington Post

[vector7]

McCain knocks Russia, China response

Published: April 6, 2009 at 1:07 PM

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Sen. John McCain of Arizona, show at a Washington
news conference March 31, 2009.
(UPI Photo/Kevin Dietsch)

HONG KONG, April 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called on Russia and China Monday to back punitive sanctions against North Korea for test-firing a rocket. McCain, on a visit to Asia, admonished North Korea for ignoring a U.N. Security Council resolution barring rocket-related activities, the Voice of America reported.

"We all know that the major influence on North Korea is China," McCain said. "Everybody knows that. And the Chinese have been, I think, less than committed to restraining North Korea's activities."

The United States, Japan and France have condemned the launch but, in an emergency meeting Sunday, the U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a response to North Korea's actions.

North Korea said it launched a communications satellite but Western nations said they feared it was a missile test-firing. North Korea also said its satellite was successfully launched into space, but intelligence indicated the launch failed and that debris fell into the sea.

Both Russia and China voiced restraint in responding to North Korea -- a response McCain said was predictable.

"Their statements don't overreact," McCain said. "The problem is the North Koreans have acted. They have acted in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, which should have bound them not to engage in this activity."

McCain, the GOP 2008 presidential candidate, and Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., are on a trip that includes stops in Vietnam, Japan and China.

[vector7]

Who's surprised by this?

Chavez Sides With Russia On North Korea Rocket Launch

Sunday, April 05, 2009

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday suggested the international community "avoid the winds of war" after a rocket launch by North Korea.

Chavez made the remark in an interview with Venezuela's state radio from Tokyo as he began a visit aimed at deepening ties with Japan.

"Due to the lack of information, and contradictory information ... I prefer to have a great deal of prudence as the Russian government has said," Chavez said in the radio interview. "And to avoid the winds of war. That's important."

The U.S. and its allies, including Japan, sought punishment, meanwhile, for North Korea's rocket launch, holding an emergency U.N. meeting in response to what some believe was a long-range missile test.

"It's an issue that's generating great concern in the world," Chavez said.

The Venezuelan leader has maintained friendly ties with North Korea, though his government in 2006 joined many other countries in condemning Pyongyang's announcement it had tested a nuclear weapon. The North Korean government has congratulated Chavez on his past electoral wins, including in February when he won a referendum that eliminated term limits.

[Beetle]

"Chavez Sides With Russia On North Korea Rocket Launch"

And anybody that buys Shitgo gasoline should be tried for treason.

[vector7]

China says North Korea has a right to space

Irish Sun
Tuesday 7th April, 2009

The Chinese foreign ministry has called for a cautious UN response to Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch.

According to China, North Korea has the right to peaceful space development.

The permanent members of the UN Security Council, the US, France, Russia, UK and China and Japan, met in New York on Monday to discuss sanctions against North Korea.

While no agreement was reached, a further meeting on Tuesday is likely to see Beijing and Moscow calling for restraint.

Pyongyang has said its rocket test was a success, but US military sources have said the rocket failed to fire its later stages and fell into the Pacific.

[vector7]

Revealed: First images of North Korean missile launch

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 3:02 PM on 07th April 2009

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This is the astonishing satellite image that shows what is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile casting a trail of smoke over the Korean peninsula as it was launched by the communist state on Sunday.Arching out east over the water, the Taepodong-2 rocket soared over Japan on its 3,200km (2,000 mile) flight.

Analysts said Sunday's launch of the rocket was effectively a test of a ballistic missile with a potential range capable of carrying a warhead as far as the U.S. state of Alaska.

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This image - provided by DigitalGlobe and made available in London by Jane's Defence Weekly - shows what is believed to be the exhaust trail and vehicle launched from Musudan-ni, North Korea on Sunday

The U.S. military said no part of the Taepodong-2 rocket entered orbit, despite Pyongyang's claim it carried a satellite now transmitting data and revolutionary music as it circled the Earth.

North Korean state television broke into regular broadcasting on Tuesday to show footage of the rocket taking off from the Musudan-ri missile base in the northeast of the country.

Today Japan demanded a strong response from the U.N. Security Council to the launch, which analysts say was a test of a long-range ballistic missile.
Bu Tokyo acknowledged that divisions remained.

Washington, Tokyo and Seoul say the launch violated Security Council resolutions, imposed in 2006 after a nuclear and missile tests, that ban the firing of ballistic missiles by Pyongyang.

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Ready for launch: Left, the rocket stands on the launch pad; right, its engines are fired up


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Left, the rocket begins to lift off the launch pad, and right, fully launched

'If the violation is left as it is, the credibility and the authority of the Security Council will be undermined,' Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone told a news conference.

'We are working with countries involved so that the security council can together send out a strong message soon.'

The five permanent members of the Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia - plus Japan met at U.N. headquarters yesterday to explore a possible compromise on a response to the launch.

More...

• China and Russia unite to block UN action over North Korea long-range rocket launch

But with Beijing and Moscow urging caution, no agreement was reached. They scheduled another meeting for today.

'It is important for the Security Council to issue a strong and unified message,' Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a news conference at which he also acknowledged divisions remained.

Japan's lower house of parliament passed a resolution today calling on the international community to enforce sanctions against North Korea and urging Japan's government to impose additional measures.


Defiance: Kim Jong-il, centre, posing with a group of scientists and technicians at a North Korean 'satellite control centre' after observing the rocket launch

Kawamura said that among the possible steps, which analysts say would be mostly symbolic, were tighter rules for sending money to North Korea.
Diplomats have said China and Russia would probably accept a Security Council warning to Pyongyang urging it to comply with U.N. resolutions and return to six-party talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear arms programme.

But they would be opposed to a binding resolution intended to punish Pyongyang.

'We have to create an environment that makes North Korea realise that its actions are having a negative effect,' Japan's administrative reform minister Akira Amari told reporters today, calling for sanctions to be enforced.

Analysts said the launch showed the impoverished North had greatly increased the range of its missiles even though it may be years away from building a missile to threaten the United States.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's defiance also grabbed global attention for his destitute state and bettered his hand in the often-employed negotiating strategy of using military threats to squeeze concessions from regional powers.

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Protesters in South Korea burned missiles near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, while those near the de-militarised zone between the Koreas launched balloons filled with 100,000 leaflets condemning Kim Jong-il's regime

North Korea is likely to use the first successful launch of the Taepodong-2 to extract concessions for showing up at future six-party talks. Pyongyang also could seek to water down obligations it signed onto under previous negotiations.

The nuclear talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia have been stalled since December.

The United States and Japan want a U.N. resolution that expands existing financial curbs on the North, but diplomats said they might have to settle for a non-binding statement.

Russia and China have made clear they would veto any attempt at new sanctions. Beijing, the nearest North Korea has to a major ally, has said any reaction must be 'cautious and proportionate'.

'In the current circumstances, we ... hope that relevant parties will exercise calm and restraint and appropriately handle this, and together protect the broader context of regional peace and stability,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in Beijing.

Japan's Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada was questioned in a parliamentary committee about the possibility of Japan developing pre-emptive strike capability to deal with the threat of a missile attack, a move that could anger South Korea and China.

"'t the moment, Japan does not possess the means to attack enemy territory,' he said.

'Regardless of whether we have the necessary equipment to attack enemy territory, a political decision would be needed,' he said.'I think it is important to hold a broad debate, including in parliament, about what the country should do.'

South Korean ruling party politicians said on Tuesday the country should revise an agreement with the United States that limits the range and payload size of its missiles in response to the North's launch.

[Ryan Ruck]

North Korean Rocket 'Made Using Chinese Technology'

The rocket launched by North Korea last Sunday was made using the technology of the Long March-1 rocket China fired in the 1970s.

After looking at video footage of the rocket launch released by AP on Tuesday, Chae Yeon-seok, a former president of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, said, the external appearance of the rocket shows that the North must have used technology of the Chinese rocket to make it.

The assembly method also seems to be Chinese. "The North set the first-stage booster rocket up vertically first, and then put the second and third-stage rockets on one by one. This assembly method is often used in China and backs up speculation that North Korea has borrowed the technology," Dr. Roh Woong-rae of KARI said. "You could see gas gushing out from the upper part of the first-stage booster rocket immediately after the rocket was launched, which is a characteristic of a rocket that uses liquid nitric acid as fuel." He added this corroborates a long-held speculation.

Asked if they believe the rocket was capable of carrying a satellite, experts said it seemed it had enough room in its upper part to carry a satellite.

The difference between the last two launches is that North Korea did not release a video clip of its abortive 2006 missile test, when the rocket flew for 42 seconds and exploded. This time, it released a five-second video. "Despite another failure, North Korea has been telling its people that the launch was a success," Chae said. "It seems the North is trying to mislead the public by at least releasing the video clip of the first few seconds."