Turkey condemns ballistic missile launch in North Korea

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's foreign ministry on Sunday "strongly" condemned North Korea's test-firing a ballistic missile.

"We strongly condemn the ballistic missile launch conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)," the ministry said in a statement.

North Korea test-fired what is believed to be a ballistic missile Sunday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The missile was launched just before 8 a.m. (0000GMT) from North Pyongan Province and flew around 300 miles (500 kilometers) towards the east of the peninsula.

"This launch, constitutes yet another violation of DPRK’s international obligations. This is clearly not conducive to efforts aimed at assuring peace and stability in the region," the foreign ministry statement read.

It called on DPRK "to cease its ballistic missile launches and other activities threatening regional and international security and stability."