North Korea Missile Launch Defies International Warnings

The North Korea state media, the Korean Central News Agency, informed the country had succeeded in putting a satellite into orbit at 5:29 am Bulgarian time. Photo by BBC.

North Korea has gone ahead with a controversial missile launch in show of defiance of international warnings, BBC reports Sunday.

The information was confirmed by leading world news agencies.

The state media, the Korean Central News Agency, said North Korea had succeeded in putting a satellite into orbit at 5:29 am Bulgarian time. The "experimental communications satellite," as the media outlet called it, was launched into space from the Musudan-ri launch site in the North-East Korea.

The missile flew over Japan, with two booster stages dropping into the Pacific Ocean to the East and West of Japan, Tokyo officials informed, adding Japan did not try to intercept the rocket because it did not threaten its territory.

North Korea says that the launch is part of what its "peaceful space program," but Pyongyang's neighbors are concerned about the missile's potential military use. They also believe it could put parts of the US within North Korea's military reach.

Japan called the move "extremely regrettable", while South Korea said it constituted a clear breach of a United Nations resolution. The move was also met with anger and condemned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union. China and Russia both called on all sides to act with restraint.

US President Barack Obama, who is in Prague for a US-EU summit, defined the launch as "a clear violation" of a resolution barring North Korea from any activities related to ballistic missiles.

The UN Security Council has approved a Japanese request for an emergency session later Sunday in New York.