'Hostile' rocket launch condemned

Apr 5 2009

The Foreign Secretary has condemned the launch of a rocket by North Korea as a "hostile policy".

David Miliband said the blast-off - monitored by US and South Korean authorities - represented part of the Asian country's "ballistic missile programme" and therefore breached a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Mr Miliband said: "While Pyongyang continues to pursue a hostile policy towards the rest of the world, it cannot hope to take its rightful place within the international community.

"I strongly urge North Korea to cease immediately all further missile-related activity and commit to engaging constructively with international partners."

The multistage rocket flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese broadcaster NHK said.

The security council said it will hold an emergency session in New York later, following a request from Japan minutes after the launch.

The launch took place from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in north-eastern North Korea, the South Korean and US governments said.

North Korea has previously said it was sending a satellite into orbit, but the state's neighbours suspected the launch was a cover for a long-range missile test and therefore a potential step towards the development of a nuclear weapon.

Mr Miliband said: "This action contributes directly to their ballistic missile programme, and therefore puts North Korea in breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1718."

South Korea's presidential Blue House called the launch a "reckless" move that posed a "serious threat" to stability on the Korean peninsula.