GENEVA (AP):

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday that North Korea's launch of ballistic missiles this weekend is deeply regrettable and unhelpful for peacefully resolving tensions over its nuclear weapons programme.

Ban said he was concerned about the missile test-firings and that they defied UN resolutions.

"The (UN) Security Council has shown a very strong, unified message to DPRK on nuclear test, as well as missile launch," Ban said, using the official name for North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "They have to fully comply with this rather than taking such kind of defiant measures."

Unhelpful

Pyongyang's launch of seven missiles into waters off its east coast Saturday is "totally unhelpful in resolving all the issues peacefully through dialogue," said Ban, who spoke to reporters in Geneva ahead of a meeting by the UN Economic and Social Council.

The missile firings came amid growing concerns over Pyongyang's firepower and they drew international condemnation.

"North Korea now has closed all the doors, all the doors of communication and dialogue. I'm deeply concerned about current status," said Ban.

He said he hoped that the nations taking part in the so-called six-party nuclear talks will try to revive dialogue with North Korea. The talks involved the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia.

Pyongyang in April quit the talks and vowed to restart its nuclear facilities to protest a UN statement condemning the firing of a long-range rocket it said was a satellite.

Provocative

North Korea has engaged in a series of acts this year widely seen as provocative. In late May, it carried out its second underground nuclear test following the first in late 2006.