REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Government of the Republic of Indonesia regretted North Korea’s move to proceed with the rocket launch despite the appeals of many, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marty Natalegawa, said in a press release on Friday. “At this critical juncture, it is important that all project calm and exercise maximum restraint,” he stated.

To ensure peace and stability on Korean Peninsula, he emphasized the vitality of diplomacy and dialogue to be placed at the forefront. North Korea had defied international pressure from the United States, the United Nations and others to push ahead with the launch timed to celebrate the 100th birthday of Kim Il-sung, the deceased founder of the state. They said they wanted the Unha-3 rocket to put a weather satellite into orbit. But some critics believed it was designed to enhance its capacity to design a ballistic missile to deliver a nuclear warhead.

The rocket crashed into the sea that separated the Korean peninsula from China off the west coast of South Korea after launch on Friday. The rocket only flew 120 km from its launch site close to Chinese border. 

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