U.N. Security Council to convene this week over N.K. satellite launch: Seoul official

The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) will convene a meeting this week to discuss North Korea's recent launch of a military reconnaissance satellite that ended in failure, a Seoul official said Wednesday. The official at South Korea's Permanent Mission to the U.N. said that the meeting is slated to take place on Friday after Pyongyang's attempt to launch a satellite-carrying rocket failed due to the midair explosion of the rocket on Monday. The recalcitrant regime pressed ahead with the launch despite international warnings and criticism that any launch using ballistic missile technology, including that of a space launch vehicle, is a violation of multiple UNSC resolutions. South Korea, a nonpermanent member of the 15-member UNSC, is expected to reiterate its condemnation of the latest launch. On Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the North's launch and called on Pyongyang to return to dialogue in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric. Source: Yonhap News Agency