The Security Council?Monday strongly condemned the attempted launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) of a so-called 'application satellite,' stressing that last week's action, as well as any other use of ballistic missile technology, is a serious violation of the United Nations resolutions.

"The Security Council deplores that such a launch has caused grave security concerns in the region," the Council said in a presidential statement following Friday's launch of the satellite, which reportedly rose for less than two minutes before exploding and plunging into the sea near the Korean peninsula.

The Council demanded that the DPRK refrain from any further launches using ballistic missile technology and to comply with previous resolutions by suspending all activities related to the country's ballistic missile programme. Pyongyang must also re-establish its commitments to a moratorium on missile launches, the Council stressed.

Ambassador Susan Rice of the United States, which holds the Council's presidency this month, highlighted to reporters that the presidential statement also provides for new sanctions.

"The Security Council directed its North Korea Sanctions Committee to designate additional North Korean entities, including companies, to be subject to an asset freeze, as well as to identify additional proliferation-sensitive technology to be banned for transfer to or from North Korea.

"The Committee will also take several other actions to improve enforcement of existing sanctions," said Ms. Rice.

The Council demanded that the DPRK immediately comply fully with its obligations under previous resolutions, including abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner; immediately ceasing all related activities; and refraining from conducting any further launches that use ballistic missile technology, nuclear tests or any further provocation.

It called on all Member States to implement fully their obligations pursuant to the Council's resolutions on DPRK.

"The Security Council expresses its determination to take action accordingly in the event of a further DPRK launch or nuclear test," said the statement.