North Korea defies Obama

In an act of defiance against the U.S. and Japan, North Korea launched a multistage missile over Japan. As expected, U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso did nothing. The North Koreans gambled Obama and Aso would be to weak and timid to attempt a 'shoot down' of the missile. They won that bet. The North Koreans declared the satellite launch a success and said the test satellite was in orbit and sending back moronic songs praising their leader Kim Jung Il. According to the U.S. military, the satellite launch failed and the payload is now on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

NKorea launches rocket, defying world pressure

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea fired a rocket over Japan on Sunday, defying Washington, Tokyo and others who suspect the launch was cover for a test of its long-range missile technology. President Barack Obama said the move threatens the security of nations "near and far."

Liftoff took place at 11:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in northeastern North Korea, the South Korean and U.S. governments said. The multistage rocket hurtled toward the Pacific, reaching Japanese airspace within seven minutes, but no debris appeared to hit its territory, officials in Tokyo said.

Four hours after the launch, North Korea declared it a success. An experimental communications satellite reached outer space in just over nine minutes and is orbiting Earth, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said from Pyongyang.

"The satellite is transmitting the melodies of the immortal revolutionary paeans 'Song of Gen. Kim Il Sung' and 'Song of Gen. Kim Jong Il' as well as measurement data back to Earth," it said, referring to the country's late founder and his son, its current leader.

But the U.S. military said "no object entered orbit." North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command officials said in a statement that the first stage of the rocket fell into the waters between Korea and Japan, while the two other stages, and its payload, landed in the Pacific Ocean.(excerpt) read more at news.yahoo.com