Taipei  - Taiwan on Sunday expressed concern about North Korea's launching a rocket, and called for peaceful solution of the conflicts on the Korean Peninsula.

"The Republic of China (Taiwan's formal title), as a member of the Northeast Asia, is very concerned about regional security. We will continue to closely monitor developments," Foreign Ministry spokesman Chen Ming-cheng said.

"Conflicts on the Korean Peninsula should be solved through peaceful means to avoid affecting regional stability."

Despite warnings from South Korea, Japan and the United States, North Korea on Sunday morning launched a rocket over the Japan Sea.

Pyongyang said it was to put a satellite in orbit, but South Korea, Japan and the West suspect the launch was a screen to test a ballistic missile.

Wang Kao-cheng, a military analyst from Taiwan's Tamkang University, said North Korea's launch of rocket was to show its dissatisfaction of the stalemate of the six-party talks - aimed at dismantling its nuclear facilities in exchange for Wester aid - and to test Barack Obama's stance on the Korean Peninsula conflict.

Speaking on the Broadcasting Corp of China, he said Pyongyang is impatient that the six-party talks are going nowhere and that although Obama has expressed goodwill to North Korea, Pyongyang wants to see concrete moves to improve ties from Washington. (dpa)