The launch was led by Sea Launch, a joint venture established by US, Russian and European companies.

"We successfully made our first contact with the satellite one hour and 15 minutes after its launch," KT spokesman Hwang Dae-Woon said.

The satellite to be placed in its orbit at 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) can cover telecommunications not only in Korea but also other Asian countries, including Japan and China, after four months of testing, he said.

It is the country's fourth communications satellite but the first for military purposes. Twelve of its 36 communications lines will be used exclusively by the military.

"The Mugunghwa-5 will greately improve our information-gathering and communications ability," a defense ministry official said. The military currently relies heavily on land lines and terrestrial radio communications.

Along with the introduction of anti-missile equipment, South Korea will buy four advanced surveillance planes from US aircraft giant Boeing by 2012 to upgrade its early warning capability.

South Korea, which is still technically at war with North Korea, has no air surveillance system of its own and depends on US airborne reconnaissance aircraft based at Okinawa in Japan.

Seoul has launched three commercial communications satellites -- Mugunghwa 1, 2 and 3, since 1995. Mugunghwa 4 does not exist as the number four is considered unlucky in Korea.

Last month, South Korea launched Arirang 2, a scientific research satellite equipped with cameras to log geographical changes and help search for natural resources.

But North Korea has accused South Korea of launching Arirang 2 as a spy satellite.

The two Koreas still remain technically at war since the bloody 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

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