Fury in Seoul, Tokyo over NKorea launch

South Korea on Monday vowed a stern response and Japan threatened new sanctions after North Korea's rocket launch, but the United Nations struggled for agreement on whether to punish the communist state."North Korea's reckless act that threatens regional and global security cannot be justified under any circumstances," Seoul's President Lee Myung-Bak said in a radio address, promising a "stern" response to provocations.Japan's government will decide on Friday on new bilateral sanctions, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said. Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said it hoped the Security Council would agree a new resolution to condemn North Korea.The council adjourned Sunday after three hours of closed-door talks with no accord on a response to what Western members called a clear breach of UN resolutions.Members were to continue consultations.The North said on Sunday that a long-range rocket had placed into orbit a communications satellite which was beaming "immortal revolutionary songs" in praise of its former and current leaders, Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il.Kim Jong-Il was present at the launch and "warmly encouraged" scientists and technicians before having his picture taken with them, state media said on Monday.South Korea and the US military say a satellite never made it into space. A senior Russian military source also said there were no signs of a satellite.Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, along with other nations, say the launch was a pretext to test a long-range Taepodong-2 missile in violation of UN resolutions.A Western diplomat at the UN said US ambassador Susan Rice, backed by her British and French colleagues, pressed for "strong condemnation" of the launch.But Russia, China, Libya, Uganda and Vietnam called for restraint so as not to endanger the six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament."All countries concerned should show restraint and refrain from taking action that might lead to increased tension," China's UN ambassador Zhang Yesui told reporters Sunday."The use of ballistic missile technology is a clear violation of the resolution which prohibits missile-related activities,"Rice noted in reference to Resolution 1718 passed after the North's missile and nuclear tests in 2006.
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As in the days of Noah...