United Nations slams DPRK's most recent ballistic missile launches

The UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday both slammed the most recent ballistic missile launches conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The Security Council "strongly condemned the most recent ballistic missile launches" conducted by the DPRK on April 28 and May 13, the 15-nation UN body said in a press statement.

The Security Council members expressed their "utmost concern" over the DPRK's "highly destabilising behavior and flagrant and provocative defiance of the Security Council by conducting these ballistic missile launches in violation of its international obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council vowed to fully implement all measures imposed on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea by the Security Council and strongly urge all other member states to do so in an expeditious and serious manner," said the statement.

"The members of the Security Council agreed that the Security Council would continue to closely monitor the situation and take further significant measures including sanctions, in line with the Council's previously expressed determination," the statement said.

On Sunday, the DPRK test fired a medium long-range ballistic missile. The country's official Korean Central News Agency said the test firing of the new ground-to-ground strategic ballistic missile "Hwasong-12" was successful.

The members of the Security Council stressed that the 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," the statement said.

The members of the Security Council emphasised "the vital importance" of the DPRK "immediately showing sincere commitment to denuclearization through concrete action and stressed the importance of working to reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond," the statement said.

The Security Council demanded the DPRK "conduct no further nuclear and ballistic missile tests," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in North-East Asia at large, expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation, and welcomed efforts by Council members, as well as other States, to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue," added the statement.

Earlier on Monday at a daily news briefing, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric called the latest missile launch by the DPRK a "violation of Security Council resolutions and a threat to peace and security in the region."

"The secretary-general calls on the DPRK to ensure full compliance with its international obligations and return to the path of denuclearization," he said.

The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue on Tuesday behind closed doors, UN officials and diplomats said here.

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.

The council has imposed tough sanction measures on the DPRK, which includes banning the sale and transfer of coal, iron and iron ore from the country's territory. Endi