"They've tested missiles before. This is not the first time of alleged testing of missiles," said White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, speaking on the Fox News Sunday television program.

"We know what their intent is and we're trying to keep a good close eye on them," Card said.

"I think they're looking to kind of be bullies in the world and they're causing others to stand up and take notice, but they're not very constructive leaders," said Card.

"Kim Jong Il ... he's someone that we don't have great confidence in terms of keeping his word. We know that we would like to see a nuclear-free Korean peninsula," he said.

Meanwhile, David Almacy, a White House spokesman said that for the moment there is no "official comment" verifying that the missile firing took place.

Sunday's report follows an assessment by the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency last week that North Korea is believed capable of arming a long-range missile with a nuclear warhead and has the ability to deploy a two-stage intercontinental missile that could successfully hit US territory.

DIA director Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby made his remarks in testimony on Thursday before a US Senate committee.

The development also comes one day before some 190 nations were to gather in New York Monday to review the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at a time when the world's fight against the spread of nuclear weapons.

Since 1968, some 188 nations have put their names to the NPT, which bans the transfer of nuclear weapons and the technology to make them, but the treaty faces a challenge by the discovery of secret nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the missile was fired Sunday from the east coast of North Korea and flew about 100 kilometers (62 miles) until it fell into the sea.

Jiji Press said the test came at about 8:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday) and only consisted of one missile. According to Kyodo News, Japan was informed of the test by the US military and cabinet members were told to prepare for an emergency.

A Japanese foreign ministry official said only that Tokyo had "unconfirmed reports" about a missile.

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