Defiant North Korea Holds Anti-South Rally

North Korea said Friday a rally was being held in Pyongyang's central square to protest against South Korea's government, which has been sharply critical of the North's failed rocket launch last week.

In typically aggressive language, the official Korean Central News Agency said the square was crowded with military members and civilians who vow to "wipe out" South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's administration.

On Thursday, North Korea vowed to launch satellites into space "one after another," a week after it defied international protests by launching a long-range rocket that failed just after taking off.

KCNA quoted space agency officials as saying Pyongyang will continue conducting the launches, which it says are aimed at placing weather satellites into orbit.



The defiant statement said scientists have already discovered what caused the failure of last week's launch, though no details were given. It also did not give a time frame for the next rocket launch.

The announcement comes days after the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the launch and threatened further sanctions, saying the move violated resolutions barring North Korean use of ballistic missile technology.

This week in New York, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said the world body stands ready to take further action if North Korea persists in its actions.

On Thursday, North Korea threatened to wage a "sacred war" against President Lee's government unless he apologizes for suggesting last week that Pyongyang would rather spend millions of dollars on weapons than on food for its poverty-stricken population.