Much Anticipated N. Korea Rocket Explodes Mid-Air

The much hyped launch of North Korea’s long-range rocket suffered major embarrassment on Friday when the rocket imploded mid-air falling over the Yellow Sea just a few minutes after being launched. South Korea’s defense ministry quickly issued a statement, saying, “North Korea's rocket flew about one or two minutes before it exploded mid-air" In a surprising move, North Korea confirmed that the satellite, which the U.S and Japan claim is a disguised rocket, had failed to enter its preset orbit. "The earth observation satellite failed to enter its preset orbit. Scientists, technicians and experts are now looking into the cause of the failure," the North's official news agency said without elaborating. North Korea is banned by United Nations resolutions from testing ballistic missiles. The detached North has strongly maintained that it has every right to send the satellite up, to coincide with Sunday's centenary of the birth of its founding leader Kim Il-Sung. "Despite the failure of its attempted missile launch, North Korea's provocative action threatens regional security, violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. The United States, Russia, South Korea and Japan condemned North Korea’s latest tactic and have threatened to tighten the already harsh sanctions aimed at stopping Pyongyang developing nuclear weapons.