North Korea may follow up failed rocket launch with more provocative nuclear test, experts say (CBS/AP) SEOUL, South Korea - After North Korea's rocket launch ended in failure, its next move could be even more provocative: a nuclear test. That's what North Korea did following launches in 2006 and 2009. Experts suspect the government is under even more pressure to do so now after its latest rocket burst apart after liftoff Friday. "This failure makes it even more likely that the North will now attempt a nuclear test in the not-too-distant future," American analyst Ralph Cossa, the president of Pacific Forum CSIS, said. The rocket launch was supposed to demonstrate the regime's power and technical prowess. A nuclear test may now be seen as even more necessary, not just to further perfect their weapons capability, but also to save face. The rocket launch had been hailed as a moment of national pride, but it disintegrated over the Yellow Sea, earning it embarrassment as well as condemnation from a host of nations that deemed it a covert test of missile technology. N. Korea's failed launch sparks international search for debris White House says NK missile a "provocative" act A mistake, and the real North Korea is revealed In a rare move for Pyongyang, the government admitted that the rocket did not deliver a satellite, but it also pressed ahead with grandiose propaganda in praise of the ruling Kim family. The United States and South Korea declared the early-morning launch a failure minutes after the rocket shot out from the North's west coast. North Korea acknowledged that some four hours later in an announcement broadcast on state TV, saying the satellite that the rocket was carrying did not enter orbit. The three-stage rocket's first stage burned, but the second failed to ignite. Powered flight lasted around 100 seconds, with the first stage splashing down 100 miles west of Seoul, South Korea, and the rest of the rocket traveling about 450 miles before running out of momentum and exploding on reentry into the atmosphere. The entire operation lasted less than nine minutes, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin. The failed launch has now sparked an international search effort for the debris to gain insight into what went wrong and what rocket technology the country has. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman discusses North Korea's rocket launch, saying the communist nation needs to "grow up and knock it off." Watch at left. Two South Korean destroyers, equipped with missiles that could have shot the rocket down if necessary, began scouring the seas for debris from the rocket along with South Korean helicopters, CBS Radio News reporter Don Kirk reports Seoul. The Japanese government said defense teams were working with the U.S. military to analyze the rocket's flight route and any debris reclaimed from the failed rocket launch, CBS Radio News reporter Lucy Craft reports from Tokyo. North Korea had held up the launch as a scientific achievement and even a gift for its late founder, Kim Il Sung, two days before the 100th anniversary of his birth. It pressed ahead even as world leaders vowed to take action in the U.N. Security Council against what they called a flagrant violation of international resolutions prohibiting North Korea from developing its nuclear and missile programs. The rocket's destruction suggests the country has yet to master the technology needed to build long-range missiles that could threaten the United States. Still, worries remain about North Korea's nuclear program amid reports that it may be planning an atomic test soon. The launch is also a setback for the government of new leader Kim Jong Un, which had projected the satellite as a show of strength amid North Korea's persistent economic hardship. Kim is solidifying power following the death of his father, longtime leader Kim Jong Il, four months ago. Kim Jong Un has been given several important titles intended to strengthen his rule this week. Hours after the failed launch, state media said he was named first chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission during a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly. Kim Jong Il, who ruled the country in his capacity as chairman of the commission, was given the title of "chairman for eternity." Outsiders, meanwhile, focused on the launch, which was condemned by the foreign ministers of the Group of Eight industrialized nations meeting in Washington, including Russia. The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for later Friday, and Washington said it was suspending plans to contribute food aid to the North in exchange for a rollback of its nuclear programs.