Watch: North Korea releases footage of latest rocket launch

North Korea has released TV footage of the launch of a rocket it says put a satellite into space. Pictures show the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un talking to members of his staff at the control centre before the blast-off. Then, after the device leaves the gantry and heads into the atmosphere, he is seen grinning as his commanders take notes. In a state TV broadcast, a North Korean presenter said the “epochal” launch was personally ordered by the leader.

We will now broadcast the Chosun record video of the successful launch of the earth satellite Kwangmyongsong-4 under the leadership of our respected leader Kim Jong-Un.

North Korean news presenter

The country claimed the launch was a “complete success” and the satellite was making a polar orbit of Earth every 94 minutes. There had been fears that Sunday’s rocket launch was actually a disguised ballistic missile test. An unnamed official told AFP that North Korea has not yet mastered the necessary technology needed to turn the rocket into an inter-continental ballistic missile. The test was widely condemned by politicians across the globe, with the UK summoning the North Korean ambassador to protest. The UN has vowed to speedily put forward a new resolution with “significant” sanctions against Pyongyang.

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