U.S. military says N. Korea failed to orbit satellite

SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. military command said Sunday on its Web site that North Korea failed to put a satellite into orbit, describing the launched rocket as "not a threat" to its territory.

South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae also confirmed the failure of the
North Korean rocket launch, saying the Seoul government will soon make an
official announcement on the matter.
The U.S. Northern Command said on its Web site that it has "assessed the space
launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in
response to this launch."
The dispatch from Colorado added that the last two stages of the rocket tumbled
into the Pacific Ocean along with the payload. The first stage fell into the East
Sea, it said, but did not disclose coordinates.
"No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan," it said.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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