16 March 2012 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to reconsider its decision to launch a so-called “application satellite” next month and fully comply with relevant Security Council resolutions.

The DPRK reportedly announced today that it plans to carry out the launch in April to mark the 100th birthday of its late leader, Kim Il-sung.

“The Secretary-General urges the DPRK to reconsider its decision in line with its recent undertaking to refrain from long-range missile launches,” said a statementissued his spokesperson.

Mr. Ban reiterated his call on the East Asian nation to “fully comply with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council,” particularly resolution 1874 of 2009 which bans “any launch using ballistic missile technology.”

That resolution imposed additional sanctions on DPRK after previous demands that the country not conduct any further nuclear or missile tests went unheeded.