N. Korea fires what it claims to be 'space launch vehicle' southward: S. Korean military

SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) -- North Korea fired what it claims to be a "space launch vehicle" southward on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, after it unveiled its plan for the launch earlier this week.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced the launch without elaborating and pending further analysis.

The North notified Japan and the International Maritime Organization of its plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11 despite international criticism that it would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions banning any launch using ballistic missile technology.

The rocket launch marks the North's first such provocation since it fired what it claimed to be a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on April 13.
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