UN Security Council slams DPRK's ballistic missile launch

A submarine-launched ballistic missile is displayed during a military parade in central Pyongyang, April 15, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua]

The UN Security Council on Thursday strongly condemned the most recent ballistic missile launch conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

In a press statement, the 15-nation council demanded the DPRK to immediately cease further actions in violation of relevant Security Council resolutions, saying that the council would closely monitor the situation and "take further significant measures including sanctions."

The DPRK attempted on Sunday to test-fire an unidentified missile on its east coast, according to the South Korean military. The United States confirmed later that the missile launch had failed. 

The Security Council expressed their "utmost concern" over DPRK's "highly destabilizing behavior and flagrant and provocative defiance of the Security Council" by conducting the ballistic missile launch, said the statement.

It stressed that DPRK's illegal ballistic missile activities are contributing to its development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and are greatly increasing tension in the region and beyond.

In order to reduce the tension in the Korean Peninsula, the most powerful UN body demanded the DPRK conduct no further nuclear tests.

According to previous Security Council resolutions, the DPRK is banned from conducting any launches that use ballistic missile technology, nuclear tests or any other provocation. To that end, the council has imposed tough sanctions on the DPRK, which includes banning the sale and transfer of coal, iron and iron ore from the country's territory.