UN chief slams firing of ballistic missiles by DPRK

(Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the reported firing of ballistic missiles by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying that “such actions violate Security Council resolutions and seriously undermine regional peace and stability.”
“The secretary-general reiterates his call for the DPRK leadership to refrain from further provocations and comply fully with its international obligations,” said a statement issued here by the spokesman for Guterres.
Three of the missiles landed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, the statement said.Earlier on Monday, several countries, including South Korea and the United States, condemned the DPRK’s test-launch of four ballistic missiles as it was in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions once again.
Under relevant Security Council resolutions, Pyongyang is banned from testing any ballistic missile technology.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the DPRK fired four ballistic missiles of a new type into east waters at about 7:36 a.m. local time (2236 GMT on Sunday). The missiles flew eastward some 1,000 km on average, and three out of the four fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
On Feb. 12, Pyongyang successfully test-launched a new type of Pukguksong-2 intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) under supervision by top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.
Expectations have been running high for the DPRK’s test-firing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the near future based on the IRBM technology, but the JCS said the missiles launched Monday were unlikely to be new ICBMs of the DPRK.