Mass rally marks success of North Korean rocket launch
Source: Agencies |
December 15, 2012, Saturday
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A TRIUMPHANT North Korea staged a mass rally of soldiers and civilians yesterday to glorify the country's young leader, who took a big gamble this week in sending a satellite into orbit in defiance of international warnings.
Wednesday's rocket launch came just eight months after a similar attempt ended in a failure, and just under a year after Kim Jong Un inherited power following his father's death.
Workers' Party Secretary Kim Ki Nam told the crowd, bundled up against a winter chill in the heart of the capital Pyongyang that "hostile forces" had dubbed the launch a missile test. He denied the claim and called on North Koreans to stand their ground against "cunning" critics.
In response, the tens of thousands of North Koreans who packed snowy Kim Il Sung Square clenched their fists in a unified show of resolve as a military band played.
Huge red banners in the square called on North Koreans to defend Kim Jong Un with their lives. They also paid homage to his father Kim Jong Il and his grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.
The section at the rally reserved for foreign diplomats was noticeably sparse as UN officials and some European envoys stayed away, as they had for the last launch.
Chorus of warnings
Early yesterday, state media detailed how Kim Jong Un issued the order to fire off the rocket just days after scientists fretted over technical issues, ignoring the chorus of warnings from Washington to Moscow against a move likely to invite more sanctions.
North Korea called the satellite a gift to the late Kim Jong Il, who is said to have set the goal of getting a satellite into space.
The satellite, which North Korean scientists say is designed to send back data about crops and weather, was named Kwangmyongsong, or "Lode Star" - the nickname given to Kim Jong Il at birth.
"It makes me happy that our satellite is flying in space," Pyongyang citizen Jong Sun Hui said as the ceremony came to a close.
"The satellite launch demonstrated our strong power and the might of our science and technology once again," she said. "And it also clearly testifies that we can become a thriving nation in our near future."
Aside from winning him support from the people, the success of the launch helps the North Korean leader's image as he works to consolidate power over a government crammed with elderly, old-school lieutenants of his father and grandfather, foreign analysts said.
Despite the success of the launch, experts say North Korea is years from even having a shot at developing reliable missiles that could bombard the American mainland and other distant targets.
Wednesday's rocket launch came just eight months after a similar attempt ended in a failure, and just under a year after Kim Jong Un inherited power following his father's death.
Workers' Party Secretary Kim Ki Nam told the crowd, bundled up against a winter chill in the heart of the capital Pyongyang that "hostile forces" had dubbed the launch a missile test. He denied the claim and called on North Koreans to stand their ground against "cunning" critics.
In response, the tens of thousands of North Koreans who packed snowy Kim Il Sung Square clenched their fists in a unified show of resolve as a military band played.
Huge red banners in the square called on North Koreans to defend Kim Jong Un with their lives. They also paid homage to his father Kim Jong Il and his grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.
The section at the rally reserved for foreign diplomats was noticeably sparse as UN officials and some European envoys stayed away, as they had for the last launch.
Chorus of warnings
Early yesterday, state media detailed how Kim Jong Un issued the order to fire off the rocket just days after scientists fretted over technical issues, ignoring the chorus of warnings from Washington to Moscow against a move likely to invite more sanctions.
North Korea called the satellite a gift to the late Kim Jong Il, who is said to have set the goal of getting a satellite into space.
The satellite, which North Korean scientists say is designed to send back data about crops and weather, was named Kwangmyongsong, or "Lode Star" - the nickname given to Kim Jong Il at birth.
"It makes me happy that our satellite is flying in space," Pyongyang citizen Jong Sun Hui said as the ceremony came to a close.
"The satellite launch demonstrated our strong power and the might of our science and technology once again," she said. "And it also clearly testifies that we can become a thriving nation in our near future."
Aside from winning him support from the people, the success of the launch helps the North Korean leader's image as he works to consolidate power over a government crammed with elderly, old-school lieutenants of his father and grandfather, foreign analysts said.
Despite the success of the launch, experts say North Korea is years from even having a shot at developing reliable missiles that could bombard the American mainland and other distant targets.
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