UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – Earlier Sunday, North Korea fired a long-range rocket, defying a UN Security Council resolution banning Pyongyang from launching rockets that may be used as long-range ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads.
"The Secretary-General reiterates his call on the DPRK to halt its provocative actions and return to compliance with its international obligations. He reaffirms his commitment to working with all sides in reducing tensions and achieving the verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," the UN Secretariat said in a statement.
The United Nations stressed that the "deeply deplorable" launch was a breach of Security Council resolutions.
An emergency UN Security Council meeting on the issue will take place in New York at 16:00 GMT.