N. Korea fires long-range rocket

North Korea fired off a multistage rocket from a base along its east coast on Sunday, South Korea`s presidential office confirmed.



The blast-off occurred at around 11:30 a.m. and seems to have flown over Japan, Cheong Wa Dae added as it called the launch "reckless."



"We cannot withhold our regrets and disappointment that North Korea has caused such a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the world by firing a long-range rocket when the entire world is joining efforts to overcome the global economic crisis," Lee Dong-kwan, a presidential spokesman, said.



Yonhap News Agency cited a top South Korean government official as saying North Korea`s rocket appears to have carried a satellite but Seoul is still checking whether a satellite has been put in orbit.



He said that the South Korean government is in close contact with U.S. intelligence authorities for more information.



The U.S. State Department also confirmed North Korea`s launch of the rocket and called it a "provocative act."



Pyongyang announced last month that it would launch the Unha-2 rocket carrying the Kwangmyongsong-2 experimental communications satellite.



Japan said the rocket`s second booster stage had splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, indicating the launch had been successful. "The projectile launched from North Korea today appears to have passed over towards the Pacific," the Japanese prime minister`s office said in a statement.



(From news reports)