There was a chorus of condemnation after North Korea defied international sanctions to launch a long-range rocket carrying what it said was a satellite, but what experts believe was a test of ballistic missile technology.
North Korea's neighbours, especially archrival South Korea and Japan, reacted with alarm to the test from Pyongyang's Tongchang-ri station.
In an emergency meeting, the United Nations Security Council condemned North Korea's latest rocket launch and vowed to take "significant measures" in response to Pyongyang's violations of UN resolutions, Venezuela's UN ambassador said.
US ambassador Samantha Power told reporters: “We will ensure that the security council imposes serious consequences. DPRK’s [North Korea] latest transgressions require our response to be even firmer.”
The missile fired on Sunday is believed to have a range of more than 10,000km, which could technically reach the mainland United States.
South Korea’s president Park Geun-hye described the test as an “unacceptable provocation” and called on the UN Security Council to quickly impose strong sanctions on the North.
“North Korea has committed an unacceptable provocation of launching a long-range missile after conducting a fourth nuclear test,” Ms Park said in a meeting of the South’s national security council.
Tensions have been running high since North Korea tested what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb last month. While nuclear analysts believe it was not a hydrogen bomb, the test added to a climate of fear in East Asia over the North's nuclear ambitions.
Ms Park spoke last week with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who said relevant countries should deal with the situation in a "cool-headed" manner, and said China would try to resolve problems through dialogue and negotiations.
Blindsided
Although China is an ally, whose oil, food and other supplies are said to help keep the North Korean economy going, it has felt blindsided by the North on its nuclear programme and has gone along with sanctions.
China is keen for the resumption of six-party talks, including both Koreas, the US, Japan and Russia, and chaired by Beijing. The talks collapsed in 2008.
A commentary by the Xinhua news agency said the launch would “further complicate” the situation on the peninsula and “cast negative impact on the efforts to reopen the six-party talks.”
“The risks of frictions and conflicts outbreak have sharply risen, even wars may follow,” it said.
North Korea said the launch was aimed at putting an Earth observation satellite into orbit, but most international observers believe it was a cover for testing an ICBM. The North is banned from launching a rocket using ballistic missile technology under UN sanctions.
The rocket motors tested during the launch could be used to form the first and second stages of any future weapon, said Ben Goodlad, principal weapons analyst at IHS Aerospace, Defence and Security.
“The launch is likely to strengthen the argument that South Korea needs to bolster its missile defences,” said Mr Goodlad.
The launch built on a previous launch in December 2012 and the test of ballistic missile technology, coming so soon after a nuclear test, with what North Korea claims was a miniaturised device, was a major source of concern, he said.
North Korea is trying to miniaturise a nuclear warhead to make it fit on a missile, although experts believe it is still some way off perfecting the technology.
