North Korea Rocket Launch Raises Nuclear Concerns

The Security Council called North Korea’s launch of a long-range rocket Sunday and several earlier launches “dangerous and serious violations” of global law.

It also planned to reduce the personnel at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint economic development zone between the two Koreas, from 650 to 500 “in consideration of safety of our people”, the South Korea Unification Ministry said.

The rocket launch was confirmed by U.S. Strategic Command spokesman Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell.

Rocket and nuclear tests are seen as crucial steps toward the North’s ultimate goal of a nuclear armed long-range missile arsenal.

North Korea says it launched a satellite into orbit and plans to launch more.

“North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs represent serious threats to our interests including the security of some of our closest allies and undermine peace and security in the broader region”, she said in a statement.

North Korea’s chief diplomatic ally China, which has been resisting the United States push for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang, expressed “regret” about the launch.

Pyongyang remained defiant hours after the launch, with its embassy in Moscow issuing a statement saying it would “continue to launch more man-made satellites”.

The UN Security Council strongly condemned North Korea’s rocket launch on Sunday and agreed to move quickly to impose new sanctions that will punish Pyongyang for “these risky and serious violations”.

North Korea has previously staged rocket launches to mark important anniversaries.

The US says the highly advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system would be a deterrent necessitated by the North’s advancing ballistic missile program.

Yonhap, quoting official Japanese sources, reported the rocket separated into five parts after take off and that four parts fell into the sea.

Asked how he would respond to North Korea’s provocations, Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he would authorize a pre-emptive strike against such rockets if it was necessary to keep America safe.

Pyongyang defied global warnings in going ahead with the launch just over a month after the secretive state carried out what it claimed was its first successful test of a hydrogen bomb.

Condemnation was swift, with Washington calling the launch “destabilizing” and provocative, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described it as “absolutely intolerable”.

According to the Associated Press, it seems unlikely that North Korea yet has the capability to launch a missile with a nuclear warhead to strike the mainland USA, though that seems to be the capability they are trying to develop.

“If North Korea has only nuclear weapons, that’s not that intimidating”.