N. Korea Rocket Launch

The isolated North, using the launch to celebrate the 100th birthday of the dead founding president Kim Il-sung and to mark the rise to power of his grandson Kim Jong-un, is now widely expected to press ahead with its third nuclear test to show its military strength.

North Korea, which admitted the failure of its long-range rocket launch on Friday, has been developing missiles for decades both for what it terms self-defence and as a lucrative export commodity.

A rocket that Pyongyang plans to launch next month will take a "safer" flight path compared to previous launches that strayed into Japanese airspace, a North Korean scientist said.

The isolated North, using the launch to celebrate the 100th birthday of the dead founding president Kim Il-sung and to mark the rise to power of his grandson Kim Jong-un, is now widely expected to press ahead with its third nuclear test to show its military strength.

North Korea, which admitted the failure of its long-range rocket launch on Friday, has been developing missiles for decades both for what it terms self-defence and as a lucrative export commodity.

A rocket that Pyongyang plans to launch next month will take a "safer" flight path compared to previous launches that strayed into Japanese airspace, a North Korean scientist said.