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UN chief condemns North Korea’s missile launch

UN, July 5. /TASS/. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned North Korea’s Tuesday missile launch and demanded that the country’s leadership stopped its provocative actions.

"The Secretary-General strongly condemns the launch of a ballistic missile of possible intercontinental range conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 4 July 2017," the office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said in a statement.

TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA

"This action is yet another brazen violation of Security Council resolutions and constitutes a dangerous escalation of the situation. The DPRK leadership must cease further provocative actions and comply fully with its international obligations," the statement reads.

UN Security Council resolutions bar North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles.

On Tuesday, North Korea’s television announced the first successful launch of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile reached an altitude of 2,802 kilometers and flew 933 kilometers within 29 minutes.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the North Korean missile could be a medium-range one, because it rose to the altitude of 535 km, way below the declared 2,802 kilometers, and covered the distance of about 510 kilometers. The US Department of Defense has published similar figures.

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