The United Nations Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Monday to discuss North Korea's ballistic missile launch carried out one day earlier. 

Following the meeting, eleven countries - including South Korea - issued a joint statement denouncing the missile test saying, "This is the 10th ballistic missile launch so far this year, each one a violation of multiple Security Council resolutions. We condemn these unlawful and destabilizing actions in the strongest terms."

They called on North Korea "to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner," even as they committed to a "serious and sustained diplomacy" with Pyongyang.
  
Such a statement is issued when it is difficult for the Security Council to produce a joint outcome.

This is also the first time South Korea has participated in the off-floor statements in years. It abstained in similar condemnations issued after three UNSC meetings held on January 10, 20 and February 4 following provocations by North Korea.

In issuing the statement, Seoul's ambassador to the UN Cho Hyun, stood with representatives from the U.S., Japan, the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Albania, Brazil, Ireland and Norway.

North Korea has claimed the Sunday morning launch, suspected to be a medium-range ballistic missile, was a test for developing a reconnaissance satellite.

[Photo : YONHAP News]