The presidential National Security Council (NSC) "strongly" condemned North Korea's latest long-range missile launch Saturday, vowing stern measures against any attempt by the North to threaten South Korea.

National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han presided over a meeting of the NSC standing committee after the North fired a long-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea.

The committee members "strongly condemned the North's latest missile firing as a grave violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a serious provocation that heightens tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region," the presidential office said in a statement.

The NSC warned North Korea will only face tougher sanctions by the international community if it continues to stage weapons provocations, while turning a blind eye to North Koreans' human rights and lives amid a chronic food shortage.

The standing members also said South Korea and the United States will strengthen defense capabilities against the North through their planned joint military exercise, including the allies' table-top exercise set for next week and regular springtime drills next month.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 5:22 p.m. and that the missile, fired at a lofted angle, flew some 900 kilometers.

Source: Yonhap News Agency