Kim Jong Il in Orbit?

What was a missile is now a satellite launch, according to North Korea

By Chris Taylor Friday, Sept. 04, 1998
    • It's a bird! It's a three-stage missile! No, it's a satellite. In a highly dubious twist to the ongoing military tension between North Korea and Japan, the Korean Central News Agency now claims that the ballistic rocket fired five days ago was not a test -- but the launching of Pyongyang's very own Sputnik. "Our scientists and technicians have succeeded in launching the first artificial satellite aboard a multi-stage rocket," KCNA said Friday. Not only that, but this little orbital wonder is apparently transmitting "the song of General Marshal Kim Jong Il" across the globe at this very moment.

    A delightfully quaint piece of propaganda? There's no official word yet from U.S. intelligence. Perhaps North Korea is backtracking on its earlier belligerence out of fear that food aid will be withdrawn -- or KCNA is getting a little carried away in advance of Kim's inauguration Saturday. Still, it beats fireworks.