UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon expressed on Thursday “deep concern” over North Korea’s planned rocket launch, saying he would raise the issue at a Seoul nuclear summit next week.

UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon expressed on Thursday “deep concern” over North Korea’s planned rocket launch, saying he would raise the issue at a Seoul nuclear summit next week.

"I am going to discuss the issue with the president of the Republic of (South Korea) in Seoul and I will also engage with other leaders attending the nuclear summit," Ban told a press conference in Malaysia.

"As secretary-general of the United Nations I express my deep concern by the announcement of the (North Korean) government (on) their intention to launch a satellite," Ban said.
Ban, a South Korean, also called the planned launch "a clear violation" of Security Council resolutions and said it "threatens the peace and security on the Korean peninsula".

He said it could also undermine recent positive signs on long-running international efforts to end North Korea's nuclear program.
"This (the rocket launch) is again undermining the positive atmosphere which has been established recently between the US and (North Korea)," Ban said.

The North has announced it will launch a rocket next month to put a satellite into orbit.
Pyongyang has said any South Korean attempt to address the North's nuclear program at the March 26-27 Seoul summit would be seen as a declaration of war.

But the program and the rocket launch were expected to be hot topics on the sidelines of the meeting, which will see US President Barack Obama and other world leaders meet to discuss nuclear security issues.

Under a deal announced last month but now in jeopardy, Washington would offer substantial food aid for a partial nuclear freeze. It has raised modest hopes of progress in the denuclearization efforts.