SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korea strongly denounced the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its test-launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Thursday, which Seoul's military presumed to have failed.
Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that regardless of whether the launch was a success or not, South Korea strongly condemns the DPRK as the launch is in a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and poses a grave threat to peace and security in the international society and on the Korean peninsula.
The DPRK launched a Musudan missile, which can strike as far as the U.S. military base in Guam, earlier in the morning from the country's northwestern airfield, some 100 km north of the capital Pyongyang.
South Korean military said Thursday's launch appeared to have failed as seen in the previous test of the Musudan missile on Saturday when it exploded shortly after its liftoff.
The South Korean foreign ministry said the provocation was conducted despite the UN Security Council's warning on Monday against Pyongyang over the Oct. 15 Musudan test-launch.
Repeated provocations by Pyongyang, the ministry said, would only deepen the DPRK's international isolation and economic difficulties.
