North Korea could face stronger sanctions if it goes ahead with a long-range missile launch, an official said Thursday, the latest in a series of pressure on Pyongyang to call off the plan.

North Korea has informed U.N. agencies that it will launch what it claims is a satellite between Feb. 8 and Feb. 25.

"If North Korea launches a long-range missile, it could face stronger sanctions from the international community than the ones in place as the launch is a clear violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions," presidential spokesman Jeong Yeon-guk told reporters. He did not elaborate.

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged North Korea to call off its planned rocket launch.

South Korea warned Wednesday that North Korea will pay a harsh price if it goes ahead with the rocket launch.

North Korea has long been under an array of U.S. and U.N. sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear tests.

Still in defiance of sanctions, North Korea has repeatedly pledged to launch a series of satellites as part of its space development program.

South Korea, the United States and other regional powers view the North's satellite launch as a cover for testing its ballistic missile technology, which is banned under U.N. resolutions.

Experts say a rocket can carry either a satellite or a warhead, so the technology used in launching a satellite could be diverted for military purposes. (Yonhap)