If Liz were Queen

PRAGUE - President Obama said that North Korea violated international rules when it tested a rocket that could be used for long-range missiles, and he called on the United Nations Security Council to take action.

President Obama said that North Korea had broken global rules in launching a rocket over the Pacific in a speech in Prague on Sunday. (Todd Heisler/The New York Times)

“This provocation underscores the need for action, not just this afternoon at the Security Council but in our determination to prevent the spread of these weapons,” Mr. Obama said. “Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something.”

The United States Northern Command issued a statement that North Korea’s taepodong 2 missile flew over Japan, with its payload landing in the Pacific Ocean.

“No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan,” the assessment said.

White House officials said that the failure of the launch would not stop the United States from taking the matter to the Security Council.

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