LOC12:44
09:44 GMT
TOKYO, Dec 10 (KUNA) -- South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo confirmed Tuesday that North Korea tested a rocket engine in what the regime called a "very important test" over the weekend, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Jeong's remark, made in Sydney after a meeting of the foreign and defense ministers of South Korea and Australia, was the first time Seoul has confirmed what the North tested Saturday at the Dongchang-ri site.
"(We) urge North Korea to immediately stop such activities that heighten military tensions, and to meet efforts by South Korea and the US, as well as the international community, to resolve issues through dialogue," Jeong said at a joint press conference after the "two plus two talks" with Australia, according to a text of his remarks provided by the ministry.
Reporting the test on Sunday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency did not elaborate on details.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that nothing has been fired from the site and recent satellite imagery shows signs of a missile engine test there.
Under UN Security Council resolutions, North Korea is banned from conducting tests that could be used to build ballistic missiles.
Seoul and Washington have viewed North Korean satellite launches as cover for accumulating technology for long-range missiles.
The engine test is the latest in a series of the North's military acts amid stalled denuclearization talks with the US So far this year, the North has conducted a total of 13 major weapons tests such as new types of short-range ballistic missiles and a submarine-launched ballistic missile.
Pyongyang set the year-end deadline for Washington to come up with new proposals to move their talks forward. (end)
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