Seoul 'Strongly Condemns' Pyongyang's Rocket Launches

The government of South Korea strongly condemned North Korea’s launches of four ballistic missiles, calling them a serious threat to peace and security in the region.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that North Korea’s launches of four ballistic missiles violate UN Security Council resolutions.

“This is not only a gross and obvious violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions but also a serious threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the international community in general. The government [of South Korea] strongly condemns it,” the ministry statement read.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff estimated that Pyongyang launched "four ballistic missiles" that have covered a distance of over a thousand kilometers before falling into the East Sea, according to the Yonhap news agency.

North Korea's nuclear program has been a source for concern for its closest neighbor, South Korea, as well as for the international community. On February 12, Pyongyang launched a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan and declared the test successful. This and a number of previous launches were considered to be in violation of the UNSC resolutions by the United Nations.