TOKYO/SEOUL, April 5 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea launched a long-range rocket over Japan on Sunday, defying world pressure, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, referring to North Korea's state media.
North Korea launched its multistage rocket at 11:30 a.m. (02:30 a.m. GMT) from its Musudan-ri launch site in the country's northeast, saying that the launch was intended to put a communications satellite into orbit.
The United States, Japan and South Korea earlier condemned North Korea's plans, saying that the secretive state was planning to test its Taepodong-2 long-range missile.
In a joint statement issued after their meeting in London on Wednesday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama urged North Korea "to exercise restraint and observe relevant UN Security Council resolutions," which bar the North from launching a long-range missile.
