South Korea Launches Rocket as North Warns of Nuclear Test
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South Korea launched a civilian space rocket and satellite as signs mount that North Korea, which sent a satellite into orbit in December, is preparing to test a nuclear device.
The 33-meter (108-feet) KSLV-I Naro rocket was launched from a site near Goheung, 330 kilometers (200 miles) south of Seoul, at about 4 p.m., Lee Ju Ho, Minister of Education Science and Technology, said in a televised press conference. The launch was successful with separation of the rocket’s first and second stages complete, Lee said. Naro, which is built with domestic and Russian technology and carries a 100-kilogram research satellite, has had two failed launches since 2009.