- On Dec 12th Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea's tin-pot regime, caught his own people and the rest of the world off-guard by successfully launching an Unha-3 rocket into space and possibly putting a rudimentary satellite into orbit. Experts said the same technology it takes to put a 100kg satellite into orbit could be the first step towards firing an intercontinental ballistic missile with an equivalent payload at America, provided that North Korea could also master re-entry and accuracy.
- The timing, just before the first anniversary of the death of his rocket-loving father, Kim Jong Il, appeared to be aimed primarily at solidifying the young Mr Kim’s leadership, as well as bolstering his popularity among his oppressed subjects.
- Beforehand, news of the proposed launch was censored in North Korea, possibly because of the embarrassment that ensued in April, when a previous Unha-3 rocket flopped in front of the world’s media.
- The U.S. described the launch as “a provocative action”, while Japan’s Foreign Minister said the government had officially protested the launch to the DPRK and had called for the UNSC to take a tough stand. Also, while Beijing had earlier expressed concern over the North’s actions, China “believes the Security Council’s response should be cautious and moderate, protect the overall peaceful and stable situation on the Korean peninsula, and avoid an escalation of the situation”.
- North Korea’s launch of a rocket has put India’s plans to send an officials and businessmen delegation to Pyongyang (assessed whether talk of economic reforms in the reclusive nation was for real) in March next year in the deep freeze. New Delhi would prefer to stay away from North Korea for the time being as the rocket launch violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874. There have been reports about North Korea undertaking agrarian reforms as well as wanting to attract investments. Some Indian officials witnessed the conditions in the North Korean country-side when they recently accompanied a U.N. team for the food aid programme. India contributed $1 million to the cause and was likely to allocate a similar amount around the time when the delegation was to visit North Korea.
- The Unha or Eunha is a North Korean expendable carrier rocket, which experts say utilises the same delivery system as the Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile. Its earlier attempt of launching Unha1,2,&3 was a big failure.
