A technical glitch forced South Korea to abort liftoff of its first rocket into space today, delaying a launch that threatened to heat up tensions with rival North Korea even as they joined in mourning the death of an ex-president who pushed tirelessly for reconciliation, according to AP. Both Koreas are eager to develop their space programs, and had aimed to launch satellites into space this year. Pyongyang beat Seoul to it with the April liftoff of a three-stage rocket it claimed sent a communications satellite into orbit, although experts doubt it really succeeded. Washington, Tokyo and others called it a disguised a test of its long-range missile technology since the same rocket can be used to fire off a missile. The U.N. Security Council condemned the launch, saying it was a violation of resolutions banning the North from ballistic missile-related activity. The South's planned launch could prove a setback to recent signs of easing tensions, marked by a meeting this month between North Korean leader Kim Jong Il with former President Bill Clinton, and the releases of two American journalists and a South Korean technician from the North's custody. The North this week also agreed to resume some joint tourism and industry projects with the South. As South Korea geared up to put its new rocket on the launchpad, North Korea warned that it would be «watching closely» for the international response to Seoul's launch. «Their reaction and attitude towards South Korea's satellite launch will once again clearly prove whether the principle of equality exists or has collapsed,» a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry told North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. South Korea's launch was set for Wednesday from the Naro Space Center off the southern coast, but was abruptly aborted less than eight minutes before liftoff, senior Science Ministry official Lee Sang-mok said. The two-stage rocket, called the Naro and built with Russian help, would have been South Korea's first satellite launch from its own territory. South Korean and Russian scientists were investigating the malfunction that forced officials to stop the launch, and Russian scientists believed another attempt could take place within days, Lee said. He said trouble with a high-pressure tank that helps operate valves in the launch vehicle may have been the problem.
