Opposition party urges N. Korea to call off rocket launch

The main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) urged North Korea on Friday to immediately halt its planned long-range rocket launch, as the communist nation is believed to be making final preparations.

The North is expected to put the Unha-3 rocket on a launch pad as early as Friday or Saturday, according to news reports citing government sources. Pyongyang says it will fire off the rocket between April 12-16 to put what it claims is a satellite into orbit.

DUP leader Han Myeong-sook said the rocket launch appears to be impending.

"As we oppose any act that escalates tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula, North Korea should immediately call off its launch plan," Han said during a party meeting Friday morning.

On next week's parliamentary elections, Han appealed to voters for support, saying a ruling party's victory would spell devastation for ordinary people.

"Should the Saenuri Party hold a plurality in parliament, it will bring back tax cuts for the rich, spying on citizens, havoc on the livelihoods of ordinary people and a complete collapse of the lives of the middle-class and ordinary people," she said.

The April 11 polls are to elect a new 300-member National Assembly for a four-year term. They will also serve as a test of voter sentiment ahead of December's presidential election. It is the first time in 20 years that the two big elections will take place in the same year. (Yonhap News)