About four months after his father's death, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un tried to assert his country's position as a force to be reckoned with by launching a long-range rocket. But the rocket failed, breaking up during the launch, and the NY Times called it "a $1 billion humiliation."
The Times reports:
Mr. Kim wanted to mark his ascension to top political power — timed with the country’s biggest holiday in decades, the 100th birthday of his grandfather and North Korean founder, Kim Il-sung — with fireworks, real and symbolic. And the launching of its Kwangmyongsong, or 'Bright Shining Star,' satellite was the marquee event.
On Friday, the satellite disintegrated in a different kind of fireworks. The rocket carrying it exploded midair about one minute after the liftoff, according to American, South Korean and Japanese officials. The rocket and satellite — which cost the impoverished country an estimated $450 million to build, according to South Korean government estimates — splintered into many pieces and plunged into the gray blue waters of the Yellow Sea.
The United Nations Security Council is planning on meeting today about North Korea, as many are concerned that this failed launch will prompt North Korea to turn to a nuclear test to restore pride. Former South Korean foreign minister Yoon Young-kwan told the Washington Post, "The failure of the missile launch is fatal for North Korean domestic politics so the regime is likely to take a measure to offset this situation in any form. They will try to recover their damaged national status ... [with] a visible measure such as a nuclear test."
White House spokesman Jay Carney issued this statement:
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. While this action is not surprising given North Korea’s pattern of aggressive behavior, any missile activity by North Korea is of concern to the international community. The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations, and is fully committed to the security of our allies in the region.
The President has been clear that he is prepared to engage constructively with North Korea. However, he has also insisted that North Korea live up to its own commitments, adhere to its international obligations and deal peacefully with its neighbors.
North Korea is only further isolating itself by engaging in provocative acts, and is wasting its money on weapons and propaganda displays while the North Korean people go hungry. North Korea's long-standing development of missiles and pursuit of nuclear weapons have not brought it security - and never will. North Korea will only show strength and find security by abiding by international law, living up to its obligations, and by working to feed its citizens, to educate its children, and to win the trust of its neighbors.
Here's a BBC video report of the failed launch; BBC News analyst Damian Grammaticas said, "The failure of this launch is embarrassing for the North Korean regime. It had been billed as a sign of the North's technical achievement. But the news that it had failed was only given at midday local time. For four hours after the launch, there was no word at all. The international journalists assembled in the press centre were told nothing. Then state media said rocket scientists and technicians were looking into why it failed to reach orbit."
