The Defense Ministry said Sunday that Seoul and Washington were jointly assessing whether North Korea’s 9:30 a.m. long-range rocket launch was a success.

“North Korea launched a long-range missile from the launch site in Dongchang-ri, Cheolsan of North Pyeongan Province...South Korea and the U.S. are jointly assessing whether the launch has been successful,” said Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun during a press briefing.

He said South Korea’s 7,700-ton Aegis destroyer, King Sejong the Great in the West Sea first identified the long-range missile at around 9:31 a.m.

He added that the first stage of the rocket fell in the western sea around 9:32 a.m., and disappeared from the Aegis destroyer’s radar southwest of Jeju at around 9:36 a.m. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)