North Korea launches ‘satellite,’ sparks fears about long-range missile program

In defiance of international warnings, North Korea launched a long-range rocket Sunday morning, a move widely seen as another step toward mastering the technology for making a missile capable of striking the mainland United States. Both the South Korean defense minister and the Pentagon said that the rocket appeared to have successfully reached space. The rocket launch was expected - Pyongyang had given warnings to maritime and airspace authorities, and analysts had detected movement at its launch site - but coming just a month after a nuclear test, it nevertheless showed Kim Jong Un’s continued willingness to defy the international community. More

(Source: Washington Post - Feb 7)