Philippines worried about North Korea rocket debris

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III said he is gravely concerned that debris from a rocket that North Korea plans to launch next month may fall on Philippine territory.

Aquino said Thursday that what North Korea calls a satellite launch is widely believed to be a test of long-range missile technology that violates a UN ban.

He called the launch in a speech to Filipino veterans of the Korean War a “needless provocation” and urged North Korea to abandon it.

The US military says North Korea has indicated the rocket will be launched southward, and it is probably intended to land somewhere close to the Philippines or Indonesia.

Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the Philippines will rely on the United States to monitor the rocket.