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North Korea fueling rocket for launch
North Korea began fueling a rocket Wednesday for a launch that has exacerbated tensions with the United States.
The Associated Press reported that North Korea was injecting liquid fuel into the rocket Wednesday. Pyongyang says it is being used to launch a space satellite, but the Untied States and others say is being used to test a long-range missile.
Such a test would violate United Nations Security Council resolutions, U.S. officials say, and would set back a diplomatic agreement that the United States and North Korea had reached earlier this year in which the United States would give food aid and the North Koreans would stop nuclear tests.
The rocket launch is part of the celebration of the country’s founder Kim Il Sung, celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth.
North Korea’s new young leader, Kim Jong Un, is also being promoted to a spot on the Central Committee’s Political Bureau, according to the AP.
“Some parties insist our peaceful space program is a missile test," he said, according to the AP. “We don't really care what the outside world thinks. This launch is critical to developing our space program and improving our economy.”
North Korea says its window for the launch is Thursday through Sunday.
