North Korea today launched a satellite aboard a space rocket, according to the South Korean military, which forced the activation of warnings in Seoul to urge possible civilian evacuation.

“Launched what North Korea claims to be a space rocket in a north-south direction,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) warned in a brief statement around 6:32 a.m. local time (Tuesday 9:32 p.m. GMT), while the Seoul Metropolitan Government activated a warning sent to telephones and broadcast on the street public address system urging citizens to “prepare for evacuation”.

Pyongyang fired south “what it says is a space launch vehicle,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Soon after, a warning text was released that read, “Citizens, please prepare for evacuation and evacuate children and the elderly first,” as the warning siren sounded in downtown Seoul.

About 30 minutes later this too was thrown away.

On the island of Okinawa, Japan, a warning was also issued to civilians to settle in shelters and be prepared for a possible evacuation. Minutes later, this order was lifted.