"Everybody knows about the ostrich farm," says Hazel Smith. It's on the official tourist trail but it's not clear if this is a one-off or part of a network of such farms. This is an aerial view of an ostrich farm near Pyongyang. The Workers' Party held a rare conference on Wednesday ahead of the annual one-day session of the Supreme People's Assembly on Friday.īoth meetings are seen as formalising the transition of power to young leader Kim Jong-un following the death of Kim Jong-il.Ostrich farming was introduced after North Korea's famine in the 1990s The failure of this launch could pose a challenge for Pyongyang, which is holding a week of high-profile events ahead of the formal celebrations to mark Kim Il-sung's birthday on Sunday. On that occasion US and South Korean analysts said the rocket failed to reach orbit - but North Korea said it was a success. North Korea conducted a similar rocket launch in 2009. But that deal was put on hold last month after the North announced its rocket launch plans.Įarlier this week reports also emerged from South Korea of a possible third nuclear test being planned by North Korea. Pyongyang agreed in February to a partial freeze in nuclear activities and a missile test moratorium in return for US food aid. Statues of former leaders Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung were unveiled at a lavish ceremony in Pyongyang "We are conducting a search operation to retrieve the fallen objects," a defence ministry official said. South Korea said the rocket exploded into some 20 pieces and fell into the sea. "At approximately 07:40 we confirmed that a certain flying object was launched from North Korea and fell after flying for just over a minute," Japanese Defence Minister Naoki Tanaka said.
At no time were the missile or the resultant debris a threat." "The remaining stages were assessed to have failed and no debris fell on land. "Initial indications are that the first stage of the missile fell into the sea 165km (105 miles) west of Seoul, South Korea," the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) said in a statement. Its intended flight path would have taken it south, to the west of the Korean peninsula between Japan and the Philippines.īoth Japan and South Korea had threatened to shoot it down if it threatened their territory.īut officials from several nations observing the launch said the rocket had failed. What has happened could not be more disastrous for North Korea ” End Quote Aidan Foster-Carter Korea analyst, Leeds University The 30m (100ft) Unha-3 rocket went up at 07:39 local time (22:39 GMT Thursday), South Korean officials said.Ĭontinue reading the main story “ Start Quote The move continues the transfer of power to Kim Jong-un from his father, who died in December.įollowing the failed rocket launch, Kim Jong-un led tens of thousands of people in lavish celebrations in central Pyongyang at which giant statues were unveiled to his late father and grandfather. His late father, Kim Jong-Il, was made the commission's "eternal chairman" by the country's rubber-stamp parliament. Meanwhile, North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un has been appointed "first chairman" of the country's top decision-making body, the National Defence Commission, state media say. China, North Korea's closest ally, has called for calm and restraint on the Korean peninsula. The UN Security Council is due to meet later in the day to discuss the launch. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the launch deplorable. In a statement, the White House condemned the launch, despite its failure. And there is more condemnation to come in the hours ahead.īut the US and other nations say the launch constituted a disguised test of long-range missile technology banned under UN resolutions. It wanted to show us its mastery of technology.Īs well as being an embarrassment for North Korea's leaders, it has also drawn international condemnation. North Korea wanted to insist this was just a satellite launch and not a test of missile technology as others had feared. In previous days we had been taken to see the launch pad on the West Sea site. Then state media said rocket scientists and technicians were looking into why it failed to reach orbit. The international journalists assembled in the press centre were told nothing. For four hours after the launch, there was no word at all. It had been billed as a sign of the North's technical achievement.īut the news that it had failed was only given at midday local time. The failure of this launch is embarrassing for the North Korean regime. Analysis Damian Grammaticas BBC News, North Korea
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