The North fired the rocket at around 11:30 a.m., the government said. The liftoff took place from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in the North's northeastern region.

Cheong Wa Dae immediately issued a statement strongly denouncing the launch.

"We cannot withhold our regret and disappointment that North Korea has caused such a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world at a time when the rest of the world has combined efforts to fight a global economic crisis," presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.

President Lee Myung-bak called for the government to respond in a "firm yet resolute" manner during a National Security Council meeting.

Despite its deep sense of disapproval, however, Seoul left room for future inter-Korean dialogue.

"We will continue to wait for change from the North," the presidential spokesman said.

In a separate statement, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan condemned the launch and said it violated the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718.

"It is not only a provocative act that would negatively impact regional and global security, but it also deplorable that the North would choose to spend money it could have used to counter its chronic food shortage on the rocket launch," he said.

A single launch is estimated to cost up to 300 million won ($228,000).

"The biggest reason the rocket is a serious matter is because the launch technology used for either a satellite or a missile are the same. The only difference between peaceful and non-peaceful use is what you attach on the top of the rocket," said Kim Tae-woo, vice president of the Korean Institute for Defense Analyses.

Many experts have predicted that Pyongyang already possesses nuclear warheads.

Among the other five partners of the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korean, Washington and Tokyo condemned the move and called for United Nations Security Council sanctions. An emergency meeting is to convene today.

China remained less accusative, calling for related parties to remain "calm and restrained."

China and Russia have indicated they may not vote for new sanctions if the rocket turns out to be a satellite as the North claims. Their votes may therefore decide the level of countermeasures the international society may assume.

Whether the rocket was a satellite or missile, and the exact distance it travelled was not available as of press time.

Reports indicated the launch appeared to be a "partial success," and that it seems have flown towards the Pacific, reaching Japanese airspace within around seven minutes, but no debris seemed to have hit Japanese territory.

Tokyo did not attempt to intercept, although it issued a statement and called for an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting. Washington and Seoul also refrained from any type of military action, reflecting its latest decisions that came in the days leading up to the launch.

The military yesterday indicated that it may, however, consider expanding joint South Korea-United States missile capabilities.

This is because the rocket launch "will affect the joint South Korea-U.S. capabilities to maintain their operations when the U.S. deploys additional troops," according to Army Brigadier General Kim Jong-bae.

Seoul has yet to join the U.S. missile defense program, while Japan has stepped up its cooperation with the U.S. since 1998.

The military also upped its vigilance on fears that Pyongyang may try to further raise tension with ground attacks.

Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Tae-young launched a "crisis management committee" and issued orders for their 655,000 troops to stay ready against any possible provocations accompanying the launch, Defense Ministry officials said.

By Kim Ji-hyun

(jemmie@heraldm.com)

2009.04.06