South Korea launches rocket into space, a double standard?

South Korea launches a rocket with the intention of sending a satellite into orbit. The mission failed, but North Korea was condemned for a similar action. Is this a double standard?

The launch of a rocket into space by South Korea comes just months after North Korea made a similar move and received international condemnation. South Korea's intention was to place a satellite into orbit - however, they were unsuccessful in that mission. "The failure dealt a blow to Seoul's quest to become a regional space power. It comes against the complex backdrop of relations on the Korean peninsula — and recent signs that months of heightened tension over the North's nuclear program may be easing," The Associated Press reported on Tuesday. North Korea did not react to the launch but said it was watching the U.S. and other regional nations to see if they were going to refer the incident to the U.N. Security Council. Last June, the U.N. Security Council placed sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons tests and rocket launches. South Korea is not banned from ballistic missile tests as North Korea has been from the U.N. Security Council. "South Korean officials said it is inappropriate to compare their launch with the North's because Seoul's is for peaceful purposes and was carried out with transparency," AP reported. 'As I look at the case, our government, as a member of international treaties on nonproliferation, has been engaging in its space development program with a responsible attitude. We've been doing this openly,' Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae told reporters." However, North Korea views the differing perspectives from the international community as discriminatory. North Korea claims to have launched a satellite into space in April, but experts have been unable to detect a North Korean satellite in orbit. It is unclear how far North Korea will push the South Korean rocket launch question, as North Korea has been sending warmer signals to the United States and to South Korea in recent weeks.