Seoul  - North Korea on Saturday let a self-set window for a planned rocket launch pass by.

The communist state, which announced plans to launch a communications satellite between Saturday and Wednesday let a previously set launch window between 11 am and 4 pm (0200 to 0700 GMT) pass amid speculation that strong winds prevented the launch.

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said early Saturday the launch was coming "soon," all preparation had finished. South Korean media reported a launch was likely within hours, quoting government officials.

Bad weather, including strong winds blowing on North Korea's north-east coast, the location of the Musudan-ri launch site, may have delayed the launch, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

Japan's Defence Ministry erroneously reported a launch had taken place at 0316 GMT, but retracted the statement a few minutes later, saying a communication error had occurred.

Washington, as well as Pyongyang's neighbours South Korea and Japan, suspect the satellite launch is a front to test ballistic missile capabilities. dpa