EOUL: North Korea said on Tuesday that it is preparing to launch a satellite, a move that the United States and its allies believe could actually be a long-range missile test that would deepen global tensions.
Just days after new US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Pyongyang to avoid any provocations, the secretive country said preparations were under way for a rocket launch to put a communications satellite into orbit.
South Korea has said it regards the North's nuclear and missile capability as a serious threat and indicated a new round of sanctions would follow if the country, one of the poorest in the world, goes ahead with a launch.
Pyongyang has previously tested missiles under the guise of launching a satellite, and analysts have said recent comments from the North indicated it was on the verge of another attention-grabbing test.
"When this satellite launch proves successful, the nation's space science and technology will make another giant stride forward in building an economic power," the national space committee announced.
North Korea first tested its longest-range Taepodong-2 missile in 2006, the same year it shocked the world by testing an atom bomb, but the missile -- said to be capable of reaching Alaska -- blew up after just 40 seconds.
South Korean Defence Minister Lee Sang-Hee challenged the North to present evidence it was launching a satellite, not a missile.
Just days after new US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Pyongyang to avoid any provocations, the secretive country said preparations were under way for a rocket launch to put a communications satellite into orbit.
South Korea has said it regards the North's nuclear and missile capability as a serious threat and indicated a new round of sanctions would follow if the country, one of the poorest in the world, goes ahead with a launch.
Pyongyang has previously tested missiles under the guise of launching a satellite, and analysts have said recent comments from the North indicated it was on the verge of another attention-grabbing test.
"When this satellite launch proves successful, the nation's space science and technology will make another giant stride forward in building an economic power," the national space committee announced.
North Korea first tested its longest-range Taepodong-2 missile in 2006, the same year it shocked the world by testing an atom bomb, but the missile -- said to be capable of reaching Alaska -- blew up after just 40 seconds.
South Korean Defence Minister Lee Sang-Hee challenged the North to present evidence it was launching a satellite, not a missile.
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