North Korea says to make special announcement after rocket launch

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea' state television said on Sunday it would make a special announcement at noon (10.30 p.m. ET), after South Korea said the North had launched a long-range rocket. North Korea, which says its rocket program is aimed at launching satellites, fired the rocket from its missile base on the west coast on Sunday in defiance of U.N. sanctions barring it from using ballistic missile technology. The state-run television did not elaborate on the special broadcast. (Reporting By Ju-min Park and Jack Kim; Editing by Robert Birsel)