N. Korea Finishes Long-Range Rocket

Is North Korea one step closer to blast off? The country has finished the final stage of installing a long-range rocket on its launch pad, South Korean officials reported Wednesday. It’s likely that North Korea will go ahead with the launch, despite being encouraged not to by the U.N. The launch is expected to take place some time between Dec. 10 and 12. North Korea claims that rocket will put a “working satellite” into orbit, but it’s largely suspected, Yonhap News Agency reports, that its true purpose is to “test intercontinental ballistsic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.”