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South Korea, separated from the North by the heavily armed border, said the test launches would further deepen its neighbor's international isolation, sour public opinion in the South toward Pyongyang and hurt efforts to control weapons of mass destruction.
The tests, which came as the United States celebrated the Fourth of July and launched the space shuttle Discovery from Cape Canaveral, appeared timed to draw the most attention from Washington. Some speculated that Pyongyang wanted some of the spotlight focused on Iran's nuclear program.
"North Korea wants to get the US to direct bilateral negotiations by using the missile card," said Paik Hak-soon, a North Korea expert at the Seoul-based Sejong Institute. "Timing the launch date on July 4 is an attempt to apply maximum pressure on the US government."
In Tokyo, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso warned of a "very high possibility" the UN would level economic sanctions against North Korea.
The tests followed weeks of mounting speculation that North Korea would launch a Taepodong-2. US intelligence reports indicated Pyongyang was taking steps to prepare for a launch, but the timing was unknown. North Korea refused to confirm the preparations, but insisted it had the right to such a test.
The test was likely to cast a pall over efforts to lure North Korea back to stalled six-party talks on its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang has boycotted the negotiations to protest a US crackdown on alleged North Korean counterfeiting and other financial crimes. A North Korean official said Wednesday his country would stand by that stance.
Diplomatic moves over North Korea gathered pace. US nuclear envoy Christopher Hill was to leave Washington for the region later on Wednesday, and the launches coincided with a trip by South Korea's security chief to Washington for consultations. China's vice-premier was also scheduled to go to Pyongyang next week.
The US denounced the launch, but did not consider it a threat to national security, and officials vowed a diplomatic rather than a military response.
"We are urgently consulting with members of the Security Council," said John Bolton, the US ambassador to the United Nations. Thomas Schieffer, the US ambassador to Japan, called the launches "a provocative act," and the White House said Pyongyang had further alienated itself from the world community.
Two US State Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the long-range missile was the Taepodong-2, North Korea's most advanced missile with a range of up to 9,320 miles. Some experts believe it could reach the United States with a light payload.