Flights rerouted as North Korea prepares to launch rocket

by Hiufu Wong

More 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.

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