MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. Russian and Japanese Foreign Ministers, Sergei Lavrov and Fumio Kishida, have discussed the issue of North Korea’s rocket launch performed in violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions, the Russian foreign ministry said on Sunday after a telephone conversation between the two top diplomats.
"The sides discussed the subject of the launch of a North Korean carrier rocket which was performed in violation of relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council," the ministry said. "The Russian sides stressed the importance of political and diplomatic settlement of the situation in the context of general military political d·tente in Northeast Asia."
Earlier on Sunday, Russia’s foreign ministry said Pyongyang’s course could not but give grounds to resolute protest. "We have to state that Pyongyang has ignored the calls from the international community, and once again demonstrated the flagrant negligence of the international law norms," the ministry said. "Clearly, actions of the kind case a dramatic aggravation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and generally in North-Eastern Asia, they favor those who relies on a bloc-based policy and building up of the military confrontation, damage greatly the security of the region's countries, first of all of the DPRK itself," the ministry said.
"We strongly recommend to the DPRK leaders to think whether is responding to interests of the country the policy of own opposing to the international community," the ministry stressed.
A North Korean carrier rocket earlier on Sunday took to the target Earth orbit Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite, KCNA reported, saying the spacecraft was launched from the Sohae pad in the country’s western region. North Korea "will continue in future taking satellites to the Earth orbit," the agency said. The local media reported the launch was made at 09:00 local time (03:30 Moscow time). Pyongyang reported that the spacecraft reached the orbit in 9 minutes and 46 seconds after the launch. The satellite makes a loop around the Earth in 94 minutes. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un signed an order on the launch on Saturday, February 6.
The international community has condemned the DPRK’s actions and the UN Security Council is expected to have its emergency meeting within Sunday already.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said the launch is to be considered as a test of a combat intercontinental ballistic missile.