US: DPRK satellite launch provocative

The U.S. government said on Monday that the planned satellite launch later this month by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was provocative and inconsistent with its commitments.

"North Korea's launch of a missile would be highly provocative, it would pose a threat to regional security, and it will be inconsistent with its recent undertakings to refrain from any kind of long-range missile launches," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a regular briefing.

She noted that Washington considered the launch as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1718 and 1874, which prohibited Pyongyang from conducting launches that use ballistic missile technology.

"So we are continuing to make the point that it is a bad idea to do this," Nuland said.

"We are also working with our six-party counterparts to try to make the same points to North Korea and to urge all of the countries in the six-party talks to use their influence with the DPRK," she added.

The DPRK last month announced its plan to launch an "earth observation" satellite between April 12 and 16 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of DPRK founder Kim Il Sung. The upcoming launch has triggered global concerns.