The European Union has threatened fresh sanctions against North Korea, condemning its long-range rocket launch as a violation of international law.
'The EU will consider an appropriate response, in close consultation with key partners ... including possible additional restrictive measures,' foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement on Wednesday.
The launch was 'another step in a long-running attempt by the DPRK (North Korea) to acquire ballistic missile technology and is thus a clear violation of the DPRK's international obligations...,' she added.
'I urge the DPRK to comply, without delay, fully and unconditionally with its obligations under relevant UN Security Council Resolutions....'
Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea fired a long-range rocket days before the first anniversary of its former ruler's death.
The launch, which has magnified the threat posed by the nuclear-armed state, provoked swift condemnation from the United States and other countries.
Russia and China both issued statements expressing regret at the launch.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday he strongly condemned North Korea's rocket launch and called on the regime to respect its international obligations.
'This provocative act exacerbates tensions in the region and risks further destabilising the Korean Peninsula,' he said in a statement.
'NATO continues to call on the North Korean authorities to fulfil their obligations under international law, to comply fully with the will of the international community as expressed by the United Nations Security Council and the moratorium on missile launches.'
North Korea fired a long-range rocket on Wednesday, just days before the first anniversary of its former ruler's death in a launch which has magnified the threat posed by the nuclear-armed state.
