South Korea said Tuesday it will push for an effective U.N. response if North Korea presses ahead with its planned long-range rocket launch.

North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration announced Monday that it is in the final phase of developing a new earth observation satellite,  saying "the world will clearly see a series of satellites of (North) Korea soaring into the sky at the times and locations determined by the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea."

The announcement was seen as confirming speculation that the communist country will launch a long-range rocket around the Oct. 10 founding anniversary of its ruling party.

"North Korea's ballistic missile launches are a grave provocative act and military threat as well as a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning any activity using ballistic missile technology," Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il said during a press briefing.

If North Korea carries out its plan, South Korea will "work closely with relevant nations, including Security Council members, to enable a swift and effective response by the Security Council," he said.

In the meantime, the Foreign Ministry will make diplomatic efforts to put international pressure on Pyongyang and stop it from carrying out the launch, he added.

The official said South Korea has been in close consultations with its ally, the United States, but they have yet to detect any unusual movements in the North.

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Hwang Joon-kook, has been in New York since Sunday for meetings with ambassadors from the 15 Security Council member states aimed at securing cooperation on the North Korean nuclear and missile issues.

Hwang will then visit Washington, where he is scheduled to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, on Wednesday. North Korea's recent announcement is expected to be high on the agenda in their meeting. (Yonhap)