U.N. chief urges North Korea to stop 'counterproductive' actions

FILE PHOTO - A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva October 2, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Picture

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemns North Korea's launch of possible an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday and urges Pyongyang "to desist from taking any further counter-productive actions," a U.N. spokesman said on Tuesday.

"This is a breaking of the DPRK's announced moratorium in 2018 on launches of this nature, and a clear violation of Security Council resolutions. It is of great concern that the DPRK has again disregarded any consideration for international flight or maritime safety," deputy U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.

North Korea's formal name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols)