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SEOUL: North Korea said its rocket launch Sunday put into orbit a satellite which is now transmitting "immortal revolutionary songs" in praise of the communist state's current and former leaders.
"Our scientists and technicians succeeded in putting a satellite, the Kwangmyongsong-2, into orbit with the delivery rocket Unha-2, according to the national space development plan," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
"The satellite is rotating normally in its orbit," it said, and transmitting data and songs praising founding president Kim Il-Sung and his son and current leader Kim Jong-Il.
The North says it launched an experimental communications satellite as part of a peaceful space programme.
The United States and its allies have reacted angrily to what they see as a provocative test of a long-range Taepodong-2 (Unha-2) missile.
The news agency said the three-stage rocket was launched at 11:20 am (0220 GMT), 10 minutes earlier than the time given by South Korea. "Nine minutes and two seconds later, it successfully put Kwangmyongsung 2 into orbit," it added.
"Currently, the satellite is beaming immortal revolutionary songs such as the Song for General Kim Il-Sung and the Song for General Kim Jong-Il as well as measurement data to the earth at a wavelength of 470 megahertz," it said.
The satellite is also relaying telecommunications on a UHF channel, it said.
"The launch vehicle and satellite, developed by our own technology, is a proud fruit of our struggle to bring the nation's space technology to a higher level," the agency said.
"The success of the satellite launch gives great encouragement to the people."
The North's regime is seen as eager to give its people a scientific triumph to bolster support at a time of lingering uncertainty over the health of Kim Jong-Il.
There are widespread reports Kim suffered a stroke last August. While apparently largely recovered, the incident has raised questions about who would succeed the 67-year-old.
The launch comes four days before the first meeting of the new parliament, which will formally re-elect Kim to his most important leadership post.
"There will be a lot of nationalistic pride (over the launch) and the regime will take credit for that," said Daniel Pinkston, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.
"And for any potential challengers, of course it makes it difficult for them to criticise the leadership."
North Korea staged its first long-range missile test in 1998. The third stage apparently exploded before it could place a small satellite into orbit but Pyongyang claimed at the time it was broadcasting revolutionary songs.
KCNA said the satellite entered a large oval orbit with a perigee (the nearest distance from Earth) of 490 kilometres (306 miles), an apogee (the farthest distance from Earth) of 1,426 km and a dip angle of 40.6 degrees.
It takes 104 minutes and 12 seconds for one orbiting cycle, the agency said.
South Korea's Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan said the North does indeed appear to have launched a satellite, although it was unclear whether it had been placed into orbit.
But Washington, Seoul and Tokyo say a launch for any purpose tests missile technology, and breaches UN resolution 1718 passed after the North's 2006 missile and nuclear tests.
- AFP/yt
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