Early Friday, North Korea attempted to launch a long-range rocket that failed over the Yellow Sea.
The rocket was fired as a show of power but failed shortly after launch, landing in the sea off of South Korea.
According to AP, North Korea had held up the launch as a scientific achievement and even a gift for its late founder, Kim Il Sung, two days before the 100th anniversary of his birth.
This marks the fourth time the North Koreans tried to launch this kind of missile.
According to reports, KCNA, the official North Korean news agency, confirmed the rocket’s failure four hours after launch and said officials were working on finding out the cause of failure.
As a result of the launch, the United States canceled a proposed food aid deal with North Korea. “We are not going forward with any agreement to provide them with assistance” a White House official said, reported MSNBC.
In addition, a statement was later released on behalf of the G8 Foreign Ministers condemning the move.
“We, the G-8 Foreign Ministers, condemn the launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which is a violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1695, 1718, and 1874. Sharing the view that the launch undermines regional peace and stability, we call on the DPRK to abstain from further launches using ballistic missile technology or other actions which aggravate the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”
“We are ready to consider, with others, taking measures responding to all activities of the DPRK that violate UN Security Council Resolutions, and calling for appropriate response by the United Nations Security Council,” reads the statement.
