Sunday's launch of what Pyongyang called a satellite — but many others around the world saw as a ballistic missile test — is a "triumph for North Korea," analysts said, because it gives the reclusive state plenty of diplomatic leverage as it pursues its nuclear program and handles the succession of leader Kim Jong Il.
The rocket launch came three years after the North tried to test-fire a missile that exploded seconds after liftoff.
Experts said North Korea demonstrated that its missile technology has advanced and expressed fear that Pyongyang's next step could involve fitting a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile. If the Taepodong-2 can reach as far as Alaska, it will become a direct threat to the United States.