Ukraine strongly condemns unacceptable and provocative actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with regard to the launch on 7th February 2016 of the so called Kwangmyongsong-4 earth-observation satellite, which may be a disguised test of a ballistic missile technology.

Regardless of its true nature, the said launch carried out shortly after the nuclear test in early January constitutes a direct violation of the UN SC Resolutions 1695, 1718, 1874, 2094, as well as other relevant documents. The irresponsible actions of Pyongyang have seriously aggravated the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, and undermined regional peace and stability.

As a country that had voluntarily dismantled its own nuclear arsenal and has been strictly abiding by its obligations regarding nonproliferation of nuclear materials, technologies and their means of delivery, Ukraine will continue to work closely with our partners, including the UN Security Council members, to address the issue.

Ukraine calls upon Pyongyang to refrain from such steps in the future and return to the implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.