In a press statement released on Friday after closed-door consultations, the 15 members of the council condemned "the highly provocative launch of a ballistic missile" by the Democratic People's Republic of KoreaThe DPRK fired a missile over Japan's northern island Hokkaido and into the Pacific Ocean on Friday, which came only days after the Security Council voted in favor of a resolution toughening sanctions on the DPRK over its nuclear test early this month永利登录网址网"The Security Council also emphasized the vital importance of the DPRK immediately showing a sincere commitment to denuclearization through concrete action, and stressed the importance of working to reduce tension on the Korean Peninsula," said Tekeda Alemu, president of the Security Council, in a readout of the press statementThe council members stressed the importance of maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia at large, and welcomed international efforts to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the crisis through dialogue, said Alemu, the Ethiopian ambassador to the United NationsTensions on the Korean Peninsu永利登录网址网la escalated recently after US President Donald Trump threatened to deal with the DPRK with "fire and fury" last month[Photo/Xinhua]UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations Security Council has condemned the latest missile launch by Pyongyang and urged a peaceful solution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula