U.N. Security Council condemns North Korea ballistic missile launches

NEW YORK, March 18 (UPI) -- The United Nations Security Council strongly condemned North Korea's most recent launch of ballistic missiles.

The U.N. body held an emergency meeting Friday regarding Pyongyang's provocations in response to the firing of at least one ballistic missile into waters off the eastern coast of the peninsula Friday.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff had said the missile flew about 500 miles before it fell into the water, and that a second missile disappeared from the radar at an altitude of 11 miles before possibly detonating mid-air before reaching its target.

The Rodong has a maximum range of 800 miles and could easily hit all parts of South Korea, and a part of Japan.

In their press statement, the Security Council condemned both the Friday launch and Pyongyang's March 10 announcement of rocket tests, calling the actions violations of U.N. resolutions.

South Korean television network SBS reported the first rocket fired Friday was launched at 5:55 a.m. and flew from western North Korea across the territory, falling on the other side in the East Sea, or the Sea of Japan, after traveling some 500 miles.

The second missile was fired at 6:17 a.m. and disappeared from South Korean radar at an altitude of 11 miles.

As North Korea's missile threats increase, South Korea has begun to deploy a mid-range surface-to-air missile, called "M-SAM" that can intercept an incoming missile.

The M-SAM can strike incoming missiles at altitudes of up to 25 miles, much like U.S. Patriot missiles, South Korea's KBS reported.