North Korea’s State TV made the announcement, saying a rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite had been successfully put into orbit.
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“As president”, he continued, “I will use every arrow in our quiver – economic, social, diplomatic and military – to prevent North Korea from expanding its nuclear and missile technology”.
The Security Council has imposed four sets of sanctions on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006, but the panel said it found “no indications that the country intends to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs”.
The satellite North Korea launched in December 2012 circles the earth every 95 minutes, but no signal has ever been detected from the 100-kg (220-pound) hunk of black metal the North said was equipped with cameras to send images back to earth.
However, after the rogue regime’s most recent launch, the U.S. has reportedly agreed to deploy the THAAD to South Korea – which would counter nearly all incoming missiles from the North.
A metal object believed to be a part of North Korean long range rocket launched Sunday is seen in this undated handout picture provided by South Korean Defense Ministry and released Tuesday by Yonhap news agency.
North Korea is believed to have more than 200 medium-range Rodong missiles with a range of 1,300 km (807 miles), developed from Scud missiles with Soviet technology.
Following a meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Security Council members “strongly condemned” the launch by North Korea using ballistic missile technology.
Pyongyang called its January nuclear blast a successful test of a hydrogen bomb, proof that North Korea was now “equipped with the most powerful nuclear deterrent”.
North Koreans celebrated the country’s launch of a satellite into orbit with an official fireworks display Monday night in Pyongyang, state broadcaster KCTV reported.
“While countries have the right to exploit outer space for peaceful purposes, this must be in accordance with worldwide obligations”, it said. Harris last month told the Center for worldwide and Strategic Studies think tank that he was a strong advocate of building and expanding multilateral relationships in the region, including one among the United States, Japan and South Korea.
“Our attitude to this launch… was unambiguously displayed in the full unity of the (United Nations) Security Council”, Peskov told journalists in a conference call. “So it becomes a global issue”, said Kwon Sejin, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
Cheong Wa Dae said that President Park Geun-hye will be briefed by her aides on signs of additional provocations by North Korea though she has no official schedule on Lunar New Year’s Day.
North Korea have also restarted the production of plutonium this week.
Many countries including the US and South Korea have sought fresh sanctions since the nuclear test on January 6.
“We will monitor compliance with China’s September 2015 commitment to refrain from conducting or knowingly supporting cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property with the intent of providing competitive advantage to companies or commercial sectors”, he said. North Korea “probably remains capable and willing to launch disruptive or destructive cyberattacks to support its political objectives”, he said.
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Since Sunday’s launch was similar to the 2012 launch, officials said it demonstrates stability in North Korea’s rocket program.
