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UN Security Council condemns DPRK's missile launches

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-07 13:41

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Monday condemned the recent ballistic missile launches of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), urging the northeast Asian country to fully comply with its obligations and relevant UN resolutions.

A man walks past models of a SCUD-B missile produced in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), displayed at the War Memorial Hall in Seoul. According to South Korean Joint Forces, the DPRK fired seven missiles off the east coast from a base near Wonsan on Saturday. [Xinhua]

Uganda's UN Ambassador Ruhakana Rugunda, this month's president of the Security Council, made the oral statement to the press following two hours of closed-door consultations of the 15-nation Council.

Rugunda said the Security Council "condemned and expressed grave concern at the launches, which constitute the violation of UN Security Council resolutions and pose a threat to regional and international security."

He said members of the Security Council reiterated that the DPRK "must comply fully with its obligations and relevant resolutions, including the Security Council Resolution 1718 and 1874."

The DPRK fired a total of seven ballistic missiles on Saturday, raising international concerns over regional security.

According to the Joint Forces of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the seven missiles, estimated to have a range of 400-500 km, were fired off the east coast from a base near Wonsan, Gangwon Province.

The missile firing came two days after the DPRK test-fired four short-range missiles off its eastern coast, which ROK officials described as part of routine military drills.

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