12 Dec 2012

North Korea launches long-range rocket

11:26 pm on 12 December 2012

North Korea has launched a long-range rocket, reported to have flown over the Japanese island of Okinawa.

The regime insists the launch was part of a peaceful mission to put a satellite into orbit.

The Japanese government says the rocket passed south of the Japanese mainland, but it did not follow through with earlier threats to shoot it down because there was no threat from rocket debris.

However, Japan has requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

China - North Korea's main ally - has demanded that it comply with UN resolutions against missile tests, as has Russia.

The launch has also been condemned by South Korea and the United States as a means of testing a long-range missile that could one day deliver a nuclear warhead.

In New Zealand, Prime Minister John Key says the move will set back peace efforts in the region, saying he is very disappointed with what he says is a retrograde step

"It has the capacity to deliver real instability on the Korean peninsula and that's not good for anyone in this part of the world."

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says North Korea has again blatantly defied United Nations Security Council resolutions and ignored international appeals not to proceed with the launch.

He says it will aggravate tensions on the Korean peninsula and set back efforts to build peace and stability in the region.

In April this year, North Korea's failed attempt to launch a satellite with a long-range missile was met with widespread condemnation, including from New Zealand.