S. Korea postpones rocket launch to 2013 for "comprehensive" check: Official

SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea has postponed its third bid to put a satellite in orbit until next year, after a technical problem forced the cancellation of last week's scheduled launch, an official said on Monday.

"We have decided not to launch the rocket this month," a science ministry official said.

Engineers are now conducting a "comprehensive" check of the rocket's second stage that will take more than one month, the official said, declining to speculate on when a new attempt could be made.

The 140-tonne Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-1) was removed from the launch pad at the Naro Space Center on the south coast on Thursday after engineers detected a propulsion system problem with just minutes left on the launch countdown clock.