North Koreans hail rocket launch; US condemns
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Credit: AFP/Getty Images
A Chinese paramilitary officer stands guard in the snow outside the North Korean Embassy in Beijing on December 12, 2012. North Korea successfully launched a long-range rocket on December 12, in defiance of UN sanctions threats over what Pyongyang's critics have condemned as a disguised ballistic missile test. North Korea said the three-stage rocket, which Pyongyang insists was solely aimed at placing a satellite in orbit, had achieved all its objectives. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
