North Korea likely to delay rocket launch

North Korea is “readjusting” the launch of its long-range rocket scheduled for this month, citing “unspecified problems” found during preparations.

“Our scientists and technicians are seriously examining readjusting the launch time of the satellite,” a spokesman of the North’s Korean Committee of Space Technology was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency, Sunday.

He didn’t specify the reasons for the readjustment but added that the North was “in the final stage of preparations for the launch,” indicating it will still push forward with its plan despite the delay.

Pyongyang announced on Dec. 1 that it would launch what it claims to be a satellite into orbit from the rocket between Dec. 10 and Dec. 22, allegedly to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of its late leader Kim Jong-il and to help his son Kim Jong-un consolidate power.

The anniversary of Kim’s death falls on Dec. 17.

A government source speculated that “technical problems” were behind Pyongyang’s move to reschedule its long-anticipated launch without offering any further information.

Some analysts see mounting international pressure as the cause. In a rare move China, North Korea’s key ally, recently voiced deep concern over the rocket launch urging Pyongyang to “act in a responsible manner.”

Other watchers point out that the harsh winter weather on the Korean Peninsula might have forced Pyongyang to postpone the launch. The daytime high in Pyongyang fell to 16 degrees Celcius below zero Saturday, 11 degrees lower than usual. According to Korean intelligence officials, heavy snow has blanketed the North’s northwestern region where the rocket is to take off from.

Against this backdrop, government insiders say it is likely that the North could fail to launch the rocket within the original timeline.

Satellite imagery on Sunday showed the North is yet to fuel the three-stage rocket mounted on the launch pad in Dongchang-ri, North Pyeongan Province.

“We can tell whether fuel injection has begun if the trucks are gone and related military personnel are not spotted, but that’s not the case,” an intelligence official was quoted as saying.

Some experts say Pyongyang’s unprecedented move to publically announce the postponement indicates it is making strenuous efforts for the launch to succeed.

The latest attempt on April failed shortly after liftoff.

“That the North is taking cautious steps this time shows that it is not all about firing off a rocket but more about success,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. “It also intends to stress that the launch this time is aimed to test technology with no military purposes.”

In its previous attempts, the North claimed to have succeeded in launching a rocket despite a failure to get it into the orbit.

Some say Pyongyang is also feeling the pressure from the outside as nations gear up to present countermeasures to deal with the move.

Washington earlier deployed two destroyers to monitor the situation and is reportedly planning to submit a new United Nations Security Council resolution requiring more extensive sanctions on North Korea in response to the rocket launch.

Tokyo launched a temporary body in charge of harmonizing countermeasures with its allies, Sunday. It earlier issued an order to shoot down the rocket if it reached its territory. <The Korea Times/Chung Min-uck>