North Korea Declares That It Is Planning To Launch A Long-Range Rocket Later This Month

New York Times: North Korea, Defying Warnings, Prepares Long-Range Rocket Launch

SEOUL, South Korea — In a new dare to the United States and its allies, North Korea has notified the United Nations agency responsible for navigation safety that it is planning to launch a long-range rocket this month to put a satellite into orbit.

The agency, the International Maritime Organization, said Tuesday that it had received a notification from the North Korean authorities of a multistage rocket launch between the hours of 7 a.m. and noon local time, on an as-yet unspecified day between Feb. 8 and 25. An agency spokeswoman, Natasha Brown, said North Korea’s notification described the payload as an Earth observation satellite it called Kwangmyongsong, which translates as Lode Star.

If the launch goes as planned, the notification said, the rocket’s first stage will fall in waters off the west coast of South Korea and the second stage in waters east of the Philippines.

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More News On North Korea Declaring That It Is Planning To Launch A Long-Range Rocket Later This Month

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North Korea claims rocket launch readied to carry observation satellite -- Washington Post
N. Korea confirms suspicions of imminent launch -- CBS
North Korea preparing satellite launch, U.N. agency says -- UPI
North Korea to launch satellite this month, U.N. agency says -- CNN
North Korea launch plan 'argues even more strongly' for tougher sanctions: U.S. -- Reuters
Experts: N. Korea Getting Better at Hiding Nuclear, Rocket Tests -- VOA