North Korea says rocket launch a success — KCNA

This Monday Dec. 10, 2012 satellite image provided by GeoEye and annotated by 38 North, shows recent activity at the Sohae rocket launching facility in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, North Korea. AP FILE PHOTO

SEOUL —  North Korea confirmed Wednesday it had launched a long-range rocket, saying it had succeeded in its mission of placing a satellite in orbit, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

“The launch of the second version of our Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite from the Sohae Space Centre… on December 12 was successful,” KCNA said.

“The satellite has entered the orbit as planned,” it added.