EU condemns DPRK's latest test-launch of ballistic missile

BRUSSELS, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday lashed out at the latest test launch of a ballistic missile by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying the move is "a further unacceptable violation" of its international obligations.

"This launch represents a further grave provocation, and a serious threat to international security," a spokesperson of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic service, said in a statement.

The spokesperson urged the DPRK to "engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue, aimed at pursuing the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the full implementation of all relevant UN Security Council resolutions."

The 28-nation bloc on Oct. 16 adopted a total ban on EU investment in the DPRK in a bid to ratchet up economic pressure on the Northeast Asian country over its ongoing nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The DPRK fired a ballistic missile into its east waters early Wednesday, South Korea's military said.

"An unidentified ballistic missile" was launched from a site near Pyongsong in South Pyongan Province, at around 3:17 a.m. local time on Wednesday (1817 GMT on Tuesday), the Yonhap News Agency cited South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying.

The DPRK successfully tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles and a hydrogen bomb this year, triggering two new rounds of economic sanctions by the UN Security Council. Enditem