WASHINGTON-- The United States condemns North Korea's latest missile launch, a state department spokesperson said Sunday, while calling on the country to engage in dialogue.

The call came after North Korea fired a ballistic missile early Sunday (Seoul time), marking its eighth missile launch since the start of the year.

"The United States condemns the DPRK's ballistic missile launch," the department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"This launch, like the other launches earlier this year, is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, and demonstrates the threat the DPRK's illicit weapons of mass destruction and missile programs pose to the DPRK's neighbors and the region as a whole," the official added.

Pyongyang staged seven rounds of missile launches in January alone, marking the largest number of missile tests it conducted in a month.

The latest missile launch comes immediately after the end of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, a reason why many North Korea watchers believe the recalcitrant state may continue to conduct missile tests down the road.

"We stand with the international community to call on the DPRK to abide by Security Council resolutions, refrain from further provocations, and engage in sustained and substantive dialogue," the department spokesperson said, asking not to be identified.

"Our commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad."

North Korea remains unresponsive to U.S. outreach for dialogue. It has avoided denuclearization negotiations with the U.S. since late 2019.

Source: Yonhap News Agency