WASHINGTON-- U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim denounced North Korea's latest missile test while calling on the reclusive country to engage in serious diplomacy, the state department said Monday.

Kim also reaffirmed U.S. commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in his recent phone talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, according to the department.

"Special Representative Kim denounced the DPRK ballistic missile launch as a violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and a threat to regional stability," department spokesperson Ned Price said of the calls, held Friday, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Saturday (Seoul time), marking its ninth missile launch since the start of the year.

Pyongyang later reported it has conducted an "important test" for the development of a reconnaissance satellite, which many believe suggests a possible intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test down the road.

North Korea has maintained a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing since late 2017, but recently said it may consider restarting "all temporarily suspended activities" amid a prolonged impasse in denuclearization talks with the U.S.

The North last attended denuclearization negotiations with the U.S. in late 2019.

Kim called on the country to engage in dialogue.

"Special Representative Kim underscored the U.S. commitment to coordination with allies and our continued readiness to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy with the DPRK," the department press release said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency