According to the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, the test launch is an "adequate military measure to show the enemy our determination to respond to hostile actions".
The test was closely monitored by the other countries in the region.
Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announces that the rocket appears to have set a record: According to a preliminary assessment, it was in the air for one hour and 26 minutes, which is the longest time measured in North Korean rocket tests so far.
Landed in the Sea
The rocket is said to have traveled about 100 miles and then landed in the sea outside Japan's economic zone.
The military in South Korea reports that it was fired at a high angle, which is interpreted as a long-range rocket designed to be able to reach the USA.
The US condemns the incident as a violation of resolutions issued by the UN Security Council against North Korea.
China is historically and formally North Korea's closest ally, but has occasionally been concerned about its nuclear ambitions. Following the latest rocket test, the country expresses concern about "developments on the Korean Peninsula".
China has consistently maintained that it is in the interests of all parties to preserve peace and stability on the peninsula and promote a process for achieving a political solution, says the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Lin Jian.
Warned in the South
The launch took place just a few hours after the South Korean military on Wednesday alerted that their northern neighbor was planning to test a rocket capable of reaching the USA. It was also said that a new, seventh North Korean nuclear test was imminent.
The last time North Korea tested an intercontinental rocket was in December last year.
