By Agnes Szucs
BRUSSELS (AA) - The NATO secretary general on Wednesday condemned North Korea’s military satellite launch, calling on the country’s leadership to “cease these provocative actions”
“I strongly condemn the attempted military satellite launch by the DPRK, using ballistic missile technology,” Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.
He stressed that North Korea’s move “raises tensions,” risks the region’s security, and constitutes a “blatant breach” of UN Security Council resolutions.
Calling on North Korea to return to dialogue in order to achieve “the complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula,” Stoltenberg said: “We stand together with our close partners” in the region – South Korea and Japan.
Launched earlier on Wednesday, North Korea’s satellite “crashed into the West Sea of Korea as it lost momentum due to abnormal start-up of the two-stage engine after one step separation while flying normally,” the Korean Central News Agency announced.
Based on ballistic missile technology, the satellite was believed to be built to gather military intelligence for North Korea.