European Union leaders called on North Korea to scrap a long-range rocket launch as they voiced “grave concern” at Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons programs.

European Union leaders called on North Korea to scrap a long-range rocket launch as they voiced “grave concern” at Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons programs.

"We remain gravely concerned on North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs... we urge North Korea to refrain from any destabilizing act," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said after he and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso met South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

They and dozens of other world leaders visited Seoul for a nuclear security summit Monday and Tuesday.

Numerous leaders including called on the North to scrap the launch, intended to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of founding president Kim Il-Sung.

Van Rompuy also urged the north to divert more resources to feed its people instead of developing costly weapons programs.
"I need to highlight the gravity of North Korea's human rights situations and the problem of hunger and malnutrition... this should be the first priority for North Korea, not missile and nuclear weapons," he said.

He also stressed the "urgent need to prevent” the Islamic Republic of Iran from “obtaining nuclear weapons”, and urged all nations to take "robust restrictive measures" against Tehran.