By Anna Briese
Staff Writer

North Korea launched a multistage rocket on Friday, April 12. The rocket flight lasted about 90 seconds before it fell into the Sea of Japan, east of Korea. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense confirmed that the missile did explode with a bright flare.
There is controversy over what Korea’s intentions were; many other countries warned against Korea’s launch of a missile before the scenario happened. They announced that it was a provocation of the now suspended agreement with the US to halt nuclear activity. North Korea disregarded the warnings and launched the rocket anyway.
Officially, the US government declared the incident as a threat of national security, even though North Korea said that the rocket was supposed to transport a satellite to the sky and had no connection to any nuclear activities.
The observational satellite launched on April 12 reportedly did not reach orbit. The launch was conducted in honor of the 100 year anniversary of the birth of North Korea’s founder Kim II Sung.
An epic voyage of a scientific satellite through space is questionable, according to New York Daily News. “Washington and others say it was a covert test of long range missile technology.”
There are speculations about North Korea’s ability to deliver a nuclear weapon and that the rocket launch was an illegal nuclear weapon test. The carrier used was an Unha-3 carrier which would be able to strike the US and other targets at a long missile range. The unexpected explosion of the rocket after 90 seconds indicated technical failures during the launch. No details about the exact operation activities were released to the public.
Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, according to USA Today, “The era when nuclear arms could be used to threaten his country was ‘forever over.’” He also announced that military will be his country’s first priority. Provocations from North Korea set in 2006 and 2009 in the form of nuclear weapon tests are steps towards a nuclear war.
“The biggest concern is the new leader, Kim Jong Un,” stated social studies teacher Josh Stoner. “The failed missile launch, though of course troubling, should not be surprising concerning the actions of North Korea for the past 30 years.” It is unknown what course leader Jon Un plans to take with his political authority.
Speculation remains open to whether the rocket was just a satellite or had something to do with nuclear weapons.