A day after South Korean media reported its neighbor, the North, would delay its rocket launch, Pyongyang fired a long-range missile, days before the first anniversary of its former ruler\’s death.\r\n

A day after South Korean media reported its neighbor, the North, would delay its rocket launch, Pyongyang fired a long-range missile, days before the first anniversary of its former ruler's death.

"The satellite has entered the orbit as planned," Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement repeated later in a triumphant special broadcast on state television.

The agency hailed the launch as a "ground-breaking" event that paid tribute to Kim Jong-Il a year after his death.
"The successful launch... is a ground-breaking event in developing the country's scientific technologies and economy by exercising our rights for the peaceful use of space," KCNA said.

"Our technicians and scientists successfully sent the... satellite into orbit by holding the teachings of the great leader Kim Jong-Il in high esteem," it added.

KCNA put the timing of the launch from the Sohae launch center in the northwest at 9:49 am (0049 GMT) -- two minutes earlier than the time provided by the South Korean military.
“The satellite entered orbit about nine minutes later,” it said.

"Now the satellite is rotating at the orbit, moving between 499.7 and 584.18 kilometers above the Earth," it said.
The North's young leader, Kim Jong-Un, was believed to be extremely keen that the launch fell close to the first anniversary of the death of his father Kim Jong-Il on December 17.

Earlier on Tuesday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the entire rocket had been removed from the launch pad for repair, adding that this might signal the North would postpones the rocket launch.

INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS
In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor issued a scathing statement that accused North Korea of once again tearing up the international rulebook.

"North Korea's launch today... is a highly provocative act that threatens regional security, directly violates United Nations Security Council resolutions ... and undermines the global non-proliferation regime," he said.
For its part, Russia regretted the rocket launch, warning the move would do nothing to help regional stability.

"Russia deeply regrets the new rocket launch undertaken by North Korea in defiance of international opinion, including calls by Moscow," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

It said it was "unacceptable" that the launch flew in the face of UN Security Council resolution 1874 that bans North Korea from the use of ballistic missile technology in rocket launches.

Moscow called on North Korea to refrain from any new steps that would contradict UN Security Council resolutions but also urged "other sides" not to take actions that could further raise tensions.