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In a statement issued late Tuesday, Baird added that the regime in Pyongyang is a grave threat to the security and stability of the region and beyond.

Baird says with this latest launch, the regime has once again shown total disregard for its people by choosing to fund military and nuclear programs while the basic needs of the population go unmet.

About two hours after the launch, North Korea’s state media proclaimed it a success, prompting celebrations across the capital.

The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) later confirmed that North Korea did appear to have put an object into space.

The United Nations, as well as the U.S. and its allies see the launch as cover for a test of technology for missiles.

In North Korea, residents danced in the streets of their capital after the rocket launch, which defied multiple international warnings and signified a big step forward in its quest to develop a nuclear-tipped missile.

The rocket launch will enhance the credentials of 20-something leader Kim Jong-un at home a year after he took power following the death of his father Kim Jong-il. It is also likely to bring fresh sanctions and other punishments from the U.S. and its allies, which were quick to condemn the launch as a test of technology for a missile that could attack the U.S. mainland. Pyongyang says it was merely a peaceful effort to put a satellite into orbit.

The White House called it a “highly provocative act that threatens regional security.”

Even China, North Korea’s closest ally, expressed “regret” that North Korea went ahead with the launch “in spite of the extensive concerns of international community,” said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei.

With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press