N. Korea Warns against Satellite Interception

Seoul, March 9 (Jiji Press)--North Korea on Monday warned that it
will retaliate any attempt by Japan, the United States and South Korea to
intercept its planned satellite launch.
If the satellite is intercepted, a retaliatory strike will hit the
strongholds of Japan, the United States and South Korea, a spokesman of the
General Staff of the Korean People's Army said in a statement.
Shooting a North Korean satellite for peaceful purposes will mean a
war, said the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency,
according to the Korea News Service.
North Korea's neighboring governments suspect the launch may be a
long-range missile test.
The warning came ahead of an annual joint military exercise that
the United States and South Korea kicked off Monday.
The statement condemned the drill as a rehearsal for invasion.