Flights rerouted as North Korea prepares to launch rocket

Wed, 04/11/2012 - 12:16 — Anonymous by Hiufu WongMore than 20 commercial
airline flights will be rerouted to avoid North Korea's rocket launch
expected sometime between April 12 and April 16. The North Korean launch is
meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the country's late
founder, Kim Il-Sung, according to North Korean authorities. The secretive
state announced the launch in March, emphasizing that the rocket's debris
will not affect neighboring countries, and saying that its accompanying
satellite is intended for peaceful purposes, according to North Korea's state
news agency. North Korea claims that the Kwangmyongsong-3 (Shining Star)
satellite, carried by the rocket Unha-3, will be used to collect data on
forests and natural resources. But the United States and other nations fear
the launch may be a pretext for a ballistic missile test, which would
potentially violate U.N. resolutions created after a similar launch in April
2009.read more