U.N. Security Council Warns North Korea on Missile

The U.N. Security Council on Thursday warned North Korea against carrying out what the international community believes could be an imminent long-range missile test.

"We all agree it would be extremely inadvisable to proceed with the test," the head of the North Korea sanctions committee at the council, Portuguese Ambassador Jose Filipe Moraes Cabral, told reporters.

Asked if there was specific information pointing to a missile test, Cabral said he would not disclose what had been said inside the Security Council. But he added: "There is concern about that, it's obvious."

Satellite operator DigitalGlobe Inc. recently released new images showing increased activity at North Korea's Sohae (West Sea) Satellite Launch Station that suggested a possible missile test in the next three weeks.

DigitalGlobe said the type of activity was consistent with preparations observed before North Korea's failed launch of its Unha-3 missile in April.

South Korean military officials have also cited intelligence reports pointing to a test sometime in December or January.

Pyongyang insisted the April launch bid was aimed at putting a satellite in orbit, but the United States and United Nations denounced the mission as a disguised ballistic missile test.

North Korea is known to have an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) in development -- the Taepodong-2 -- but it has never been tested successfully.