North Korea Launches Space Satellite, Alerts South Korea and Japan

North Korea launched a rocket on Wednesday, just a day after announcing plans to put its first military spy satellite into orbit, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The launch triggered emergency alerts in parts of South Korea and Japan, with air raid sirens sounding in Seoul and the Japanese government issuing an emergency warning for residents of the southern prefecture of Okinawa. The rocket disappeared from radar early, suggesting it may have crashed or broken up in midair. North Korea’s plan to launch a satellite breaches United Nations Security Council resolutions banning the country from using ballistic missile technology.