海角大神

North Korea聽successfully launched a rocket on Wednesday, boosting the credentials of its new leader and stepping up the threat the isolated and impoverished state poses to its opponents.

The rocket, which聽North Korea聽says was designed to put a weather satellite into orbit, has been labelled by the United States,听South Korea听补苍诲听Japan聽as a test of technology that could one day deliver a nuclear warhead capable of hitting targets as far as the continental the聽United States.

"The satellite has entered the planned orbit,"聽North Korea's state news agency KCNA said.

North Korea聽followed what it said was a similar successful launch in 2009 with a nuclear test that prompted the United Nations Security Council to stiffen sanctions against聽Pyongyang聽that it originally imposed in 2006 after the North's first nuclear test.

The state is banned from developing nuclear and missile-related technology under U.N. resolutions, although Kim Jong-un, the youthful head of state who took power a year ago, is believed to have continued the state's "military first" programmes put into place by his deceased father聽Kim Jong-il.

After Wednesday's launch, which saw the second stage of the rocket splash down in seas off the聽Philippines聽as planned,听Japan's U.N. envoy called for a Security Council meeting. However, diplomats say further tough sanctions are unlikely to be agreed at the body as聽China, the North's only major ally, will opppose them.

The rocket was launched just before 10 a.m.聽Korea time (01000 GMT), according to defence officials in聽South Korea听补苍诲听Japan, and easily surpassed a failed April launch that flew for less than two minutes.

There was no independent confirmation it had put a satellite into orbit.

Japan's likely next prime minister,听Shinzo Abe, who is leading in opinion polls ahead of an election on Dec. 16 and who made his name as a聽North Korea聽hawk, called on the United Nations to adopt a resolution "strongly criticising"聽Pyongyang.

There was no immediate official reaction from Washington,听South Korea's major military backer, or from聽China.

China聽had expressed "deep concern" over the launch which was announced a day after a visit by a top politburo member to聽Pyongyang聽when he met聽Kim Jong-un.

On Wednesday,听China's state news agency Xinhua said North Korea聽had the "right to conduct peaceful exploration of outer space."

But it added: "Pyongyang聽should also abide by relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 1874, which demands (North Korea) not to conduct 'any launch using ballistic missile technology' and urges it to 'suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme.'"

U.S. Representative聽Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a聽Florida聽Republican who heads the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, quickly condemned the launch and called for tougher sanctions.

"It is clear that聽Pyongyang聽is moving ever closer towards its ultimate goal of producing a nuclear ballistic missile in order to threaten not only our allies in the聽Asia-Pacific聽region but the U.S. as well," she said.

A senior adviser to聽South Korea's president said last week it was unlikely that there would be a meaningful set of sanctions agreed at the聽United Nations聽but that聽Seoul聽would expect its allies to tighten sanctions unilaterally.

A year on for the third Kim聽

Kim Jong-un, believed to be 29 years old, took office after his father died on Dec. 17 last year and experts believe that Wednesday's launch was intended to commemorate the first anniversary of the death.

The April launch was timed for the centennial of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the founder of聽North Korea聽and the grandfather of its current ruler.

"This is a considerable boost in establishing the rule of聽Kim Jong-un," said Cho Min, an expert at the Korea聽Institute of National Unification.

There have been few indications the secretive and impoverished state, where the聽United Nations聽estimates a third of the population is malnourished, has made any advances in opening up economically over the past year.

North Korea聽remains reliant on minerals exports to聽China聽and remittances from tens of thousands of its people working on labour projects overseas.

The 22 million population often needs handouts from defectors who have escaped to聽South Korea聽in order to afford basic medicines.

Given the puny size of its economy - per capita income is less than $2,000 a year - one of the few ways that聽North Korea聽can attract world attention is by emphasising its military threat.

Pyongyang聽wants the聽United States聽to resume aid and to recognise it diplomatically, although the April launch scuppered a planned food deal.

It is believed to be some years away from developing a functioning nuclear warhead and to have enough plutonium for around half a dozen nuclear bombs, according to nuclear experts.

The North has also been enriching uranium which would give it a second path to nuclear weapons as it sits on vast natural uranium reserves.

It says that its development is part of a civil nuclear program, but has also boasted of it being a "nuclear weapons power".