N. Korea fires off long-range rocket: Seoul official

North Korea fired off a long-range rocket on Wednesday, a Seoul military official said, despite international pressure over the plan seen as a test for ballistic missile technology.

The move comes just two days after Pyongyang announced on Monday that it was extending the 13-day launch window by one week until Dec. 29 to fix a "technical deficiency" in the rocket's first-stage control engine module. [Yonhap]