You're reading: EU calls on N.Korea to refrain from rocket launch

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged North Korea on Saturday, March 17, to abandon plans to launch a long-range rocket.

"The High Representative calls on the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) to confirm as a matter of urgency that it will refrain from the proposed launch and to resume work on mutual confidence building," a statement from Ashton’s office said.

On Friday, the reclusive state said it would launch a "working" satellite to mark the centenary of its founder Kim Il-sung’s birth next month in the face of a declaration to suspend long-range missile testing.

Foreign officials have said the past launches are disguised long-range missile tests. (Reporting By Ben Deighton; Editing by Karolina Tagaris)