South Korea Launches First Domestically Produced Space Rocket: Report

The Korean Satellite Launch Vehicle II, informally called Nuri, rose upwards from the launch site in Goheung trailing a column of flame.

South Korea launched its first domestically-developed space rocket on Thursday, carrying a 1.5-tonne payload as it seeks to join the ranks of advanced space-faring nations.

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle II, informally called Nuri, rose upwards from the launch site in Goheung trailing a column of flame, with a television commentator saying: "It looks like it's soaring into the sky without problems."

Within minutes it had reached 600 kilometres in altitude, the beginning of its targeted range.

South Korea has risen to become the world's 12th-largest economy and a technologically advanced nation, home to the planet's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, Samsung Electronics.