North Korea launches rocket after satellite warning

Published

19 minutes ago

North Korea has launched a rocket shortly after announcing it planned to send up its first space satellite, sources in Japan and South Korea say.

Japan issued a warning to residents in the southern prefecture of Okinawa but later reported there was no danger of the rocket hitting its territory.

North Korea said earlier it planned to launch a satellite by 11 June to monitor US military activities.

Japan said it was ready to shoot down anything that threatened its territory.