North Korea's rocket launch this morning is ballistic, medium-range, said two US unnamed officials.

North Korea's rocket launch this morning is ballistic, medium-range, said two US unnamed officials.

They indicated that further analysis was necessary in order to clarify whether the rocket testing was successful or not. According to preliminary data, North Korea shot a rocket KH-17 or Hwason-12, which according to the Pentagon's classification is a medium-range ballistic missile and has a radius of operation from 2,778 to 5,556 kilometers. North Korea has launched three short-range missiles at the weekend, launching a mid-range rocket that topped northern parts of Japan before falling into the Pacific Ocean, about 1,180 kilometers east of the city of Erima, on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

A statement from the Japanese government said an attempt by Japanese forces to shoot down the North Korean rocket was not made, but it has triggered a security alarm.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right after the North Korean rocket incident, said the government was doing everything to protect human lives.US and Japanese leaders have agreed to increase pressure on North Korea, Abe said.

The UN Security Council has scheduled an extraordinary session today following a request by Tokyo and Washington. According to diplomatic sources, the UN Security Council has opportunities to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang. The oil sector, for example, was excluded from the latest sanctions imposed in early August. However, experts say the questionable and effective sanctions aimed at seating North Korea at a negotiating table are debatable, as official Pyongyang is constantly finding ways to circumvent sanctions