North Korea has reaffirmed its plans to continue with an announced rocket launch to put a satellite into orbit, despite facing widespread opposition from the international community. The launch is widely speculated to be a cover for testing missile technology and therefore a violation of a UN Security Council Resolution. A spokesman from the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, “We will never give up the launch of a satellite for peaceful purposes.” The New York Times reported that North Korea “unleashed an international uproar that threatened to upstage the Nuclear Security Summit.” The summit, held in South Korea, hosted 57 world leaders who gathered to discuss the prevention of nuclear terrorism. Both Japan and South Korea have warned that if the rocket or any of its parts violate their airspace, they will take action to safeguard their countries. North Korea, however, appears to have an agenda of its own.
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The New York Times