HONOLULU – North Korea’s December 12 rocket launch was as much about defying international opinion as testing its long-range rocket capabilities, a North Korean official has reportedly said.

Prior to the launch North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered that Pyongyang, “seize the initiative through an international battle of public opinion and a strategic reporting battle,” the official was quoted as saying by Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun.

The high-ranking figure in the Worker’s Party of Korea also quoted Kim as saying: “Rather than conducting a launch with backing, conducting it amid opposition provides an opportunity for us to display our