Moon condemns N.K. missile test, urges it to halt provocations for dialogue

South Korean President Moon Jae-in strongly condemned North Korea on Sunday for its latest missile launch, describing it as a grave threat to regional security and a clear violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions.

North Korea launches its test missile again. Source: Getty Image

He also called on Pyongyang to reverse its course of provocations for the resumption of dialogue while warning that his administration would deal resolutely with its provocations in order to ensure it would not "miscalculate" the situation.

"Even if dialogue is possible, (we) should show (to North Korea) that it's possible only in case of North Korea changing its attitude," Moon said during a session of the National Security Council at the presidential compound Cheong Wa Dae.

North Korea launched a ballistic missile around 5:27 a.m. from a site about 100 kilometers north of Pyongyang, South Korea's military said.

North Korea's renewed provocation has clearly ravelled Moon' Government which has signalled a dialogue with North, however, there are various interpretations of the test by North Korean experts in terms of the timing.

Korean political commentator Jung-sik Seo analyses