The United States has urged North Korea to refrain from further unlawful activity, saying that the North’s planned satellite launch is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department issued the position on Tuesday after Pyongyang notified Japan of its plan to launch a satellite late this month.

The spokesperson said that any launch by North Korea using ballistic missile technology, including satellite launches, would violate a number of UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit the regime from using such technology regardless of its purpose.

Noting that space launch vehicles contain technology that is the same as or compatible with that used by ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, the spokesperson urged the North to abide by the resolutions and to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy.