Obama warns North Korea not to launch rocket

US President Barack Obama warned North Korea yesterday that its “bad behaviour” would be thwarted and the country would only deepen its isolation if it carried out a planned rocket launch.

North Korea will achieve nothing by threats or by provocation

“North Korea will achieve nothing by threats or by provocations,” Mr Obama said in a joint news conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on the eve of a nuclear security summit in Seoul.Mr Obama vowed to thwart North Korea’s “bad behaviour” and “pattern of provocation”.

Mr Lee also said he and Mr Obama agreed that the long-range rocket launch planned for next month would be “a provocative action that threatens global peace and is against UN resolutions.

“President Obama and I have agreed to respond sternly to any provocations and threats by the North and to continually enhance the firm South Korea-US defence readiness,” Mr Lee said.

The North has announced it will fire the rocket to put a satellite into orbit between April 12-16 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of founding president Kim Il-Sung.