UN chief says N.Korea missile launch 'deeply troubling'

North Korea's test-firing of a missile from a submarine towards Japan is "deeply troubling" and undermines stability on the Korean peninsula, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday. The UN Security Council scheduled urgent consultations on the latest test-firing, at the request of the United States and Japan. The emergency talks are to be held around 2100 GMT. North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from any use of ballistic-missile technology, but Pyongyang has carried out several launches following its fourth nuclear test in January. Ban said North Korea had carried out the launch "in defiance of the united call of the international community to reverse its course." "Not only are such actions a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions but they also undermine peace and stability in the Korean peninsula," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. The UN chief renewed his appeal to Pyongyang to de-escalate the situation and return to talks on denuclearization. South Korea's military said the missile, launched in the early morning from a submarine in the East Sea (Sea of Japan), flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) -- a substantial improvement on similar tests in the past. Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the missile breached his country's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and condemned what he called an "unforgivable, reckless act" and a grave threat to Japan's security. Earlier this month, North Korea fired a land-launched ballistic missile directly into Japanese-controlled waters for the first time, drawing an outraged response from Tokyo. But the council failed to condemn that August 2 launch after China sought to include language in a statement opposing the THAAD missile defense system that the United States plans to deploy in South Korea. North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006.