UN Security Council condemns DPRK over missile launch, stresses political soluti ...

The UN Security Council on Friday condemned "the highly provocative launch of a ballistic missile" by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and expressed commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the crisis.

In a press statement released after closed-door consultations, the 15 members of the council urged all UN member states to "fully, comprehensively and immediately" implement all relevant Security Council resolutions concerning the DPRK, particularly the newly adopted Resolution 2375, which targeted the DPRK's oil supply and textile exports.

"The Security Council also emphasized the vital importance of the DPRK immediately showing sincere commitment to denuclearization through concrete action and stressed the importance of working to reduce tension on the Korean Peinsula," said Tekeda Alemu, president of the Security Council, in a readout of the press statement.

The council members stressed the importance of maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia at large, and welcomed efforts by council members as well as other states to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the crisis through dialogue, said Alemu, the Ethiopian ambassador to the United Nations.

The emergency Security Council consultations were requested by the United States and Japan following the DPRK's launch of a ballistic missile on Friday local time, which flew over Japan's Hokkaido.

The launch, which violates Security Council resolutions, came just days after the council imposed fresh sanctions on the DPRK over its nuclear test on Sept. 3.