 "North Korea rejects Security Council's statement on missile launch")
North Korea late on Thursday rejected a statement by the United Nations Security Council that condemned the nation's ballistic missile launch earlier this week.
Citing Korean Central News Agency, Xinhua reported that a spokesman for the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) said, "There is no country in the world whose army responsible for the defence of the state takes into account the approval of the UN or article of the international convention when staging exercises."
"We have never acknowledged the illegal 'resolution' cooked up by the US and its vassal forces," said the KPA.
The "largest-ever nuclear war drills against the north" held by Washington and Seoul "are finding fault with the regular and just drill of the KPA for defending sovereignty," said the statement.
The UN Security Council on Tuesday called on Pyongyang to "refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions."
The 15-nation UN body said the March 5 missile launches "are in grave violation of the North Korea's international obligations" under relevant Security Council resolutions.
The United States and South Korea are holding the two-month joint military exercises "the Foal Eagle," which Pyongyang said were the largest ever drills in preparation for war on the Korean Peninsula.