North Korea satellite launch provocative: US

Washington, April 10 (IANS) The planned satellite launch later this month by North Korea was provocative, the US government said Monday.

"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.

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, Xinhua reported.

North Korea last month announced its plan to launch an "earth observation" satellite between April 12 and 16 to mark the 100th birth anniversary of its founder Kim Il Sung.