UN chief Ban condemns North Korean missile launch

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday condemned North Korea's missile launch as a "provocative act" in clear breach of UN Security Council resolutions, his spokesman said.

The UN Security Council was to meet to discuss North Korea later on Wednesday, diplomats said.

"The secretary-general is concerned about the negative consequences that this provocative act may have on peace and stability in the region," said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

Mr Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, said that the North's defiant act was "all the more regrettable because it defies the unified and strong call from the international community", the spokesman added.