(3rd LD) N. Korea fires long-range rocket, draws international outcry

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with PSI review, Chinese, Russian responses; CORRECTS name
of country extending sanctions to Japan)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea carried out a "provocative" launch of its
long-range rocket Sunday, deepening regional tensions already running high over
the country's nuclear ambitions.
The South Korean government confirmed that the North fired off a multistage
rocket from a launch pad on its east coast 15 seconds past 11:30 a.m. that flew
over Japan, which made no attempt at interception.
World powers were split over responses to the closely-watched launch, which the
North claimed is part of a space program but some neighbors suspect was aimed at
testing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
South Korea said that the first stage of the rocket splashed down in waters near
Japan's northwestern coast and the second stage fell into the Pacific Ocean,
though it refrained from saying whether a satellite entered orbit.
South Korea and its allies responded with strongly worded statements, calling the
North's move a clear breach of a U.N. Security Council resolution that bars
Pyongyang from engaging in ballistic missile activities.
"The launch clearly violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718 and it is a
provocative act threatening stability and peace in Northeast Asia, despite any
countervailing claims by North Korea," Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said in a
statement.
The minister said his government and the international community are very
disappointed by the North's costly rocket launch given the chronic food shortage
in the impoverished communist nation.
Yu, who chairs the country's minister-level security policy coordination meeting,
said South Korea will seek punitive measures in consultation with the U.N. and
related nations. Yu met U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens to discuss a
response, while the South Korean military has been placed on high alert.
The 15-member U.N. Security Council decided to hold an emergency session early
Monday morning to discuss countermeasures.
South Korea, the U.S., and Japan are expected to push for sanctions under the
existing resolution, while the positions of the North's traditional allies China
and Russia remain uncertain.
In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama described the North's rocket as a
"Taepodong-2 missile," and made clear that the launch will be subject to
sanctions under the U.N. resolution adopted after its long-range missile and
nuclear tests in 2006.
"With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international
obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated
itself from the community of nations," Obama said in a statement.
The North's launch also set off alarm bells over concerns about its ability to
mount nuclear warheads on its missiles.
If Sunday's launch is confirmed, it could prove the North has developed a
long-range missile capable of hitting U.S. territory. North Korea is believed to
possess several nuclear bombs, although questions remain about its ability to
miniaturize them for use as warheads.
Based on preliminary intelligence analysis, a senior South Korean foreign
ministry official identified the North's rocket as a "space vehicle" carrying a
satellite, not a missile.
"We believe North Korea fired a rocket carrying a satellite," the official told
Yonhap News Agency. "However, it does not necessarily mean that the launch was a
success."
He pointed out that the international community is still worried about the
North's long-range space vehicle as it uses the same technology as an ICBM. South
Korea shelved its plan to announce its participation in the U.S.-led
Proliferation Security Initiative that aims to stop trafficking of weapons of
mass destruction, citing the need for more time to review the North's action.
China cautioned the international community against overreaction.
"We hope related parties stay calm and exercise restraint... and together
maintain peace and stability in this region," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang
Yu said in a statement.
Russia also supported North Korea's claim that it would not fire a ballistic
missile.
"No missile has been launched and none is going to launch," Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying by Moscow's main news agency.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government announced that it will extend existing
sanctions on North Korea for a year.
Intelligence agencies around the region had been monitoring preparations for the
blast-off since Pyongyang announced last month that it would launch the Unha-2
rocket carrying the Kwangmyongsong-2, or Bright Star-2, experimental
communications satellite. Unha means galaxy in Korean.
North Korea watchers agreed that the North's provocative action appears to have
multiple purposes, including drawing the attention of the Obama administration
and solidifying internal unity.
"Countries with this sort of political system usually show more hard-line
external behavior when there are internal leadership problems," said Victor Cha,
professor at Georgetown University who served as a senior National Security
Council official under the Bush administration. "That is at least what the
history of international relations tells us. Thus the deliberate intention of
Pyongyang may not be clear, this could be a manifestation of political fluidity
in the North."
Koh Yu-hwan, professor at Seoul-based Dongkuk University, said the North was
seeking "comprehensive negotiations," including on missile and nuclear programs,
with the U.S.
The U.S. president said in his latest statement that his administration will
continue work to denuclearize North Korea through the six-party talks, now
stalled over ways to inspect the North's nuclear sites.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)