Rocket models in North Korean propaganda displays

“North Korea’s notice of the plan to launch a long-range missile, coming at a time when there is a discussion for (UN) Security Council sanctions on its fourth nuclear test, is a direct challenge to the worldwide community”, the presidential Blue House said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Japan’s two biggest airlines said they plan to change some of their routes.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance at the construction site of the Kumsanpho Pickled Fish Processing Factory and the Kumsanpho Fishery Station in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang March 27, 2015.

Japan has threatened to shoot down the North Korean rocket if it flies over its air space.

Obama and Xi also said Washington and Beijing would work together and coordinate efforts in response to North Korea’s nuclear test on Jan 6, adding North Korea would not be accepted as a nuclear weapon state.

“We will take corresponding defensive measures depending on where in South Korean territory the missile falls and the extent of the damage”, said Moon Sang-kyun, spokesperson for the South Korea Ministry of National Defense, during the regular press conference on Thursday. The leaders also emphasized the need for a united worldwide response to North Korea’s actions, including through the U.N. Security Council, the statement said.

“No one should doubt that US Pacific Command forces are prepared to protect the American homeland and defend our allies in South Korea and Japan”, said Pacific Command spokesman US Navy Captain Cody Chiles.

South Korea’s Transport Ministry said a total of 39 flights to and from the southern resort island of Jeju would be re-routed, involving the country’s two main carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, as well some Chinese carriers.

Pyongyang told United Nations agencies on Tuesday it planned to launch a satellite between February 8 and 25.

“The distinction between a rocket used to lift a satellite into space and a long-range ballistic missile is highly technical but of crucial importance to understanding North Korea’s motives and capabilities and in forming a realistic and effective strategy to deal with them”.

To detect and track the possibly launched DPRK rocket, the South Korean military deployed various surveillance assets, including Aegis-equipped destroyer, ground-based Green Pine radar and Peace Eye airborne early warning and control aircraft.

Those locations are expected to be in the Yellow Sea off the Korean peninsula’s west coast, and in the Pacific Ocean to the east of the Philippines, Pyongyang said.