North Korea's missile, nuclear tests, sanctions

2012-12-12 08:44

Travellers watch a TV screen broadcasting news on North Korea's rocket launch, at a railway station in Seoul. (Jung Yeon-Je, AFP)

Seoul - The international community warned North Korea not to go ahead with a rocket launch that it carried out Wednesday.

Countries including the United States, South Korea and Japan said a launch would violate UN resolutions and rejected North Korean claims that it was peaceful, arguing the liftoff was designed to develop ballistic missile technology.

The following are North Korea's key missile and atomic test dates:

31 August 1998: North Korea launches an intermediate-range Taepodong-1 missile, but it fails to put a satellite into orbit.

4 July 2006: North Korea test-fires the more advanced Taepodong-2 missile, but the test fails.

9 October 2006: North Korea carries out its first atomic test.

14 October 2006: The UN Security Council unanimously imposes commercial sanctions and bans North Korea from importing ballistic missile technology in response to its nuclear test.

5 April 2009: North Korea launches a Unha-2 rocket and says it placed a satellite into orbit, but outside experts said no satellite is detected.

25 May 2009: North Korea conducts its second atomic test.

12 June 2009: The UN Security Council unanimously adopts stricter sanctions, including the interception of North Korean ships.

13 April 2012: North Korea launches a long-range Unha-3 rocket, which explodes minutes after takeoff.

12 December 2012: North Korea says a launch of an Unha-3 rocket was successful and it placed a satellite into orbit. Initial observations confirm the success of the mission.

- SAPA