South Korea on Monday called the condemnation by the U.N. Security Council of North Korea's test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile a "grave warning" against the communist state's unrelenting provocations. 

The UNSC issued a press statement on Sunday, denouncing Pyongyang for the test on Saturday. It stressed that the launch was yet another "serious" violation of UNSC resolutions banning any launch using ballistic missile technology.

"The members of the UNSC, including China and Russia, promptly sent a grave warning regarding the North's recent relentless provocations," an official at Seoul's Foreign Ministry told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity. 

"Our government closely cooperated with related nations, including the U.S., in the process of adopting the UNSC press statement," he added, noting that China, which chairs the UNSC for April, has played a "necessary" role in denouncing the North for its provocative behavior.

In its press statement, the U.N. Security Council said the launch of the sea-based missile contributes to Pyongyang's capabilities to deliver nuclear weapons

"The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," the council said in the statement, urging U.N. members to carry out sanctions on Pyongyang.

"The members of the Security Council emphasized that the DPRK's development and testing of new ballistic missile capabilities, even if launches are failures, is clearly prohibited by these resolutions," the council said.

On Saturday, the North test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile, but the launch was assessed as a failure as it flew for only about 30 kilometers. Still, Pyongyang claimed Sunday that the test was successful. (Yonhap)