SEOUL, March 18 -- South Koreaon Friday strongly denounced the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s launch of a ballistic missile in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the DPRK launch bluntly violated UN Security Council resolutions, which ban all launches based on ballistic missile technology, strongly slamming Pyongyang for the Friday firing of a ballistic missile.

The DPRK fired what South Korea's military assessed was a Rodong ballistic missile on Friday morning from the country's western area. The missile landed in waters off the east coast. One more DPRK projectile was fired, but it was detonated in the air.

The ministry said that the launch, which is a grave provocative act threatening peace on the Korean peninsula and in the world, was in defiance of new UN Security Council resolution imposed over the DPRK's latest nuclear test and rocket launch.

The new UN resolution was adopted on March 2 after the DPRK's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and the launch of a long-range rocket, which was condemned as a disguised test of ballistic missile technology, on Feb. 7.

The statement said that South Korea will push for necessary measures rapidly at UN Security Council in cooperation with the international community and make all-out efforts to pressure the DPRK to recognize its regime cannot survive unless it gives up nuclear and missile programs.

It added that Seoul will sternly deal with any DPRK provocations while maintaining complete defense preparedness.