Firing of long-range rocket and UN Security Council Sanction

In North Korea, Pyongyang said, it fired a rocket to place a satellite in orbit, but critics believe the real purpose was to test ballistic missile technology.Sunday’s launch came weeks after North Korea conducted a fourth nuclear test. Both acts violate existing sanctions.

The UN Security Council has strongly condemned North Korea’s launch of a long-range rocket.

After an urgent meeting in New York, the council said it would soon adopt a new sanctions resolution in response.

According to South Korea’s Defense Ministry, a North Korean patrol boat briefly crossed into South Korean territory near the island of Socheong early on Monday morning despite the tension.

The ministry said that it retreated back across the border – a boundary line Pyongyang disputes – shortly after South Korean forces fired warning shots into the water around it.