A U.S. early-warning satellite (Defense Position System), KH-12 reconnaissance and Japanese scout satellites tracked the North Korean rocket immediately after it was launched at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. On the East Sea, South Korea's King Sejong the Great class destroyer, as well as similar American, Japanese and Russian vessels tracked the rocket’s trajectory. A U.S. RC-135 Cobra Ball reconnaissance aircraft, specializing in tracking ballistic missiles, as well as Japanese spy planes monitored the launch. The comprehensive tracking confirmed that the North Korean rocket failed to enter orbit and crashed into the Pacific Ocean after traveling a distance of 3,200 km in around 15 minutes. Yet North Korea has fabricated the time the satellite entered orbit, the time it takes for it to rotate the earth and even the songs it is beaming back, advertising the feat as an "auspicious occasion" in the history of its people.

Before it launched the rocket, North Korea was detected trying to purchase two luxury yachts in Italy for US$20 million, but was prohibited by UN Security Council Resolution 1718, which imposes sanctions against exports of luxury goods to the communist country. As a result, authorities confiscated the deposit North Korea had paid on the purchase. Last year, North Korea spent $300 million preparing for the rocket launch, which is enough to compensate for the shortage of a million tons of food. North Korea is a country that ignores the plight of millions of starving citizens, yet spends hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and fire a long-range missile, fabricates lies that a nonexistent satellite is orbiting the earth, and hands over truckloads of cash to support the luxurious lifestyle of its ruler.

South Korea's policy regarding North Korea must penetrate the communist country's motives. The South should determine whether it aims to normalize its relations with North Korea or simply ensure the North's provocative acts are prevented from impacting the South. The Lee Myung-bak administration has proposed the so-called "Vision 3000: Denuclearization and Openness" policy of helping North Korea boost its per-capita Gross National Income to $3,000 if it abandons its nuclear program and opens up to the world. But the policy seems unrealistic, considering the slim chance of North Korea embracing any changes. After all, this is a country that has no qualms about fooling its own people through fabrications about a nonexistent satellite.

During an interview with foreign media last Friday, the South Korean president said he was willing to send a special envoy to North Korea if necessary. Those comments created confusion, since Lee, who had previously been negative about the prospect of sending a special envoy to the communist country, suddenly came up with the idea just as North Korea's rocket launch was imminent. Lee said on Monday that he was not a "hardliner" when it comes to North Korea, but merely a "pragmatist." A pragmatic policy starts with an accurate assessment of the other side. The Lee administration must first adopt a unified stance regarding its perception of North Korea. And its objectives must be based on this unified perception, while the administration must strive to win public support for its policies within this framework.