DPRK rocket puts object into space

Critics of the rocket program say it is being used to test technology for a long-range missile.

the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the United States said they would explore whether to deploy an advanced missile defense system in the RoK "at the earliest possible date."

The US Strategic Command said it had detected a missile entering space, and the RoK's military said the rocket had put an object into orbit.

The DPRK said the launch of the satellite Kwangmyongsong-4, named after late leader Kim Jong Il, was a "complete success" and it was making a polar orbit of Earth every 94 minutes. The launch order was given by his son, leader Kim Jong Un, who is believed to be 33 years old.

The DPRK's state news agency carried a still picture of a white rocket, which closely resembled a previously launched rocket, lifting off. Another showed Kim surrounded by cheering military officials at what appeared to be a command center.

The rocket lifted off at around 9:30 a.m. Seoul time (0030 GMT) on a southward trajectory, as planned. Japan's Fuji Television Network showed a streak of light heading into the sky, taken from a camera at China's border with the DPRK.

The DPRK had notified United Nations agencies that it planned to launch a rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite, triggering opposition from governments that see it as a long-range missile test.

The UN Security Council condemned the launch in an emergency meeting on February 7, and vowed to take "significant measures" in response to Pyongyang's violations of UN resolutions, Venezuela's UN ambassador said.

The United States and China began discussing a UN sanctions resolution after Pyongyang's Jan. 6 atomic test.