Both South Korea and Japan said they would shoot it down if it went through their airspace, but reports are saying the rocket failed just after it was launched. 

Slinkiwitchx launches thread , but it fails to take off  ! 

G'night

this sort of thing worries me ...we dont need rockets being launched

Night xx

Rockets are often launched from many countries... seems like it's ok for some countries to do so but not others

crumbs, and there was me heading to South Korea in August 

Not usually by nuclear powers who are still technically at war with one of their neighbours...

It was a firework.

Don't bunker down yet.

Several countries have nuclear weapons, like US and others, but if countries like Iran dabble with nuclear power suddenly it's not ok for a country to have that capability. Maybe I missed it but I don't think it's been proven that Nth Korea has tried to launch a nuclear missile, towards Sth Korea or any other country.

I'd prefer to read that Nth Korea had spent the money on it's many starving people but the world's not like that any more unfortunately.

North Korea (or rather its political elite) is rightly or wrongly protecting itself against future aggression.  America has a long meddling history in the area.  It's an awful country with tyrannical political rulers but it's inevitable that it's going to want to protect itself from aggression.

As you say Yellow Rose, I'd prefer to read that N Korea had spent money on its citizens' well-being but the world's not like that.