Off the wire
• GE opens wind power training center in China  • Afghan forces kill 5 militants in northern province  • Taliban militant captured by Afghan special forces in Kabul  • NBA playoffs results  • World champion Jepchirchir claims title at Yangzhou Half Marathon with course record  • India revokes passport of liquor baron over 1 billion U.S. dollars loan default  • Results from 2016 Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon  • Nepal marks first anniversary of devastating earthquake,focusing on post-disaster reconstruction  • News Analysis: Sanders, Clinton back away from Obama over 9/11 bill  • Beijing to host World Life Sciences Conference  
You are here: 　 Home

S. Korea denounces DPRK's missile launch as violation of UN resolutions

Xinhua, April 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

South Korea on Sunday strongly denounced the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine in what Seoul said was a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the government strongly condemned the DPRK's test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) Saturday in eastern waters off the DPRK's coastal town of Sinpo.

Regardless of whether it had succeeded or not, the launch was in a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and the test-firing came in less than 10 days after the United Nations urged Pyongyang to exercise restraint following the country's launch on April 15 of a Musudan ballistic missile, the ministry said.

Calling the SLBM launch as blatant provocations and threats to peace and security in the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and the world, the ministry said Seoul will take necessary actions at the UN Security Council in cooperation with major countries.

As South Korea has repeatedly warned of stronger and sterner response to the DPRK's provocations, the statement said, Seoul will step up efforts to encourage the international community to put more pressure and sanctions on the DPRK while faithfully implementing the existing UN Security Council resolutions.

The statement came hours after the DPRK's official KCNA news agency reported the country's successful launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine. The test was guided by top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

The KCNA reported that the DRPK-style SLBM met all technical thresholds to carry out an underwater attack operation that targets South Korea and the United States. It marked the second time since May 9, 2015 that the DPRK announced its successful test of an SLBM.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday that the missile, fired from a 2,000-ton DPRK submarine, was ejected from underwater and flew some 30 km for several minutes. But, it said it was very short of the flight of about 300 km required to be seen as a success. Enditem