North Korea has launched a long-range rocket as it had previously announced.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said North Korea launched the three-stage rocket at 7:39 on Friday morning at the Dongchang-ri launch site in North Pyeongan Province.

South Korea and the United States are reportedly tracking the rocket. Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the ministry is trying to determine whether the launch is successful. He said the ministry ordered the evacuation of residents of Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea near the border with North Korea following the launch.

North Korea earlier said it would launch the Unha-3 rocket to put the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite into space between April 12th and the 16th.

South Korea, the United States and other western countries believe the North's purported satellite launch was a cover for testing ballistic missile technology.

The South Korean presidential office has called a national security meeting at 9 o'clock to discuss the launch and response measures.

In New York, the United Nations Security Council has also decided to convene an emergency session soon to work out countermeasures against the North Korean rocket launch.

Meanwhile, CNN reports a U.S. government official said the launch may have failed. The official said the rocket may have broken up in the air.