(13 Apr 2012) 1. Mid of Colonel Cedric Leighton, Former North Korean intelligence analyst, during interview 2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cedric Leighton, Former North Korean intelligence analyst and retired US Air Force Colonel: "They will have almost no chance of developing a possible long-range rocket that can deliver nuclear weapons in the next year or so. And probably even longer than that." 3. Cutaway of Leighton's hands 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cedric Leighton, Former North Korean intelligence analyst and retired US Air Force Colonel: "This failure is a big deal. They've had other launch failures before as well. But this one is a huge deal because it is also Kim Jong Un's first attempt at really showing his muscle on the international stage. And that also failed. So his prestige is on the line, the prestige of the people that were working on that project, the prestige of the North Korean military. All of that is on the line." 5. Wide of Leighton during interview 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cedric Leighton, Former North Korean intelligence analyst and retired US Air Force Colonel: "The failure to launch this satellite means that they really have a problem with developing technology, delivering technology and then with making, in the case of these rockets, making it actually work for them. And that has really limited their ability, their freedom of action not only in the long-range rocket sphere but also in the nuclear sphere as well." 7. Wide of Leighton during interview 8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Cedric Leighton, Former North Korean intelligence analyst and retired US Air Force Colonel: "What is says about China is that China has not as much sway as we sometimes give them credit for over North Korea. The North Koreans have this principle of "juche", which is the principle of independence. Everything that they do has to be for the motherland - for the fatherland, in their case - and it has to be done in a way that shows their independence." 9. Wide of Leighton walking away at end of interview STORYLINE: After North Korea's reportedly unsuccessful rocket launch on Friday, analysts say the failure will damage North Korea's international credibility - though the communist nation is likely to remain defiant. Pyongyang had touted the long-range rocket launch as a major technological achievement to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, on Sunday. Speaking to the Associated Press in Washington on Thursday night, retired US Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton, a former North Korean intelligence analyst, noted that it may have been the rush to complete the project in time for the anniversary that contributed to the apparent failure. "The failure to launch this satellite means that they really have a problem with developing technology, delivering technology and then, in the case of these rockets, making it actually work for them," he said. Leighton said that even more than a technological failure, the launch was a propaganda failure for Pyongyang's leadership. "This one is a huge deal because it is also Kim Jong Un's first chance at really showing his muscle on the international stage. And that also failed," Leighton said. He also said the fact that the launch went ahead despite major international pressure shows that even North Korea's allies have less influence than some may think. "What is says about China is that China has not as much sway as we sometimes give them credit for over North Korea." The launch erases gains that the Obama administration had claimed in nudging Pyongyang back to international disarmament talks. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/7b8220851055b3dc881e6429c4a3cb9e