The Blue House says liftoff took place at 11:30 a.m. (0230GMT) Sunday morning from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in northeastern North Korea.
Japanese broadcaster NHK cites the Japanese government as saying the rocket flew over Japan. It said there were no reports of any debris falling on Japan.
North Korea pushed ahead with the launch despite mounting international pressure to cancel a liftoff. Obama warned Friday would be a "provocative" act.
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan said earlier in the week they would take North Korea to the U.N. Security Council.
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