North Korea set to fire long-range missile by Sunday?

A South Korean defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of office rules, says the South Korean military was tracking the rocket’s trajectory but gave no further details.

Japan’s NHK broadcaster reported that the Japanese government said the rocket passed over the southern Japanese island of Okinawa but no anti-missiles were fired.

“It was a process indispensable for carrying out the economic construction and the building of nuclear force to cope with the U.S. ever-more undisguised hostile policy towards North Korea”, the statement released by the state-controlled North Korean KCNA news agency said.

Schilling said that a key sign to look out for in future North Korean satellite launches would be attempts to test an advanced re-entry vehicle, vital for an effective ICBM.

North Korea on Sunday defied global warnings and launched a long-range rocket that the United Nations and others call a cover for a banned test of technology for a missile that could strike the US mainland.

He said that his country has the ability to launch a nuclear warhead from a submarine following the advancements in its ballistic missile technology.

A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an Unha-3 rocket at the Sohae Satellite Launch Stati …

The Unha rocket used to launch North Korea’s last satellite is believed to be based upon the Taepodong long-range ballistic missile, which has an estimated range of around 5,600 miles (9,000 km).

Pyongyang claims the rocket – which could be launched as soon as today – is part of a legitimate space programme and is merely sending a satellite into orbit. North Korea in 2013 also did a nuclear test and then unnerved the worldwide community by orchestrating an escalating campaign of bombast, including threats to fire nuclear missiles at the USA and Seoul.

North Korea claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb in early January.

According to multiple experts, North Korea has at least a dozen and perhaps as many as 100 nuclear weapons, though at present it lacks sophisticated delivery mechanisms.