Malaysia has condemned the firing of ballistic missiles by North Korea on Monday, and urged the country to "desist from conducting further launches".

The Foreign Ministry said today Malaysia regretted the latest incident which it felt constituted a grave threat to regional and global peace and security.

According to South Korea's military, the missiles were fired from areas around Hwangju county, in North Hwanghae province, toward the Sea of Japan.

"The launch of these missiles is another flagrant violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and a serious setback to the global disarmament and non-proliferation regime," the Malaysian foreign ministry said.

Such action by North Korea over the past few years only served to further increase regional tension and hinder the prospects for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world in general, it said.

Malaysia, according to the ministry, urged North Korea to comply fully with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions with a view to maintaining regional and international peace and security.

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